social.outsourcedmath.com

Ted Ewen (f) friendica
Aerodynamics.
Adam Hunt diaspora
If it was aerodynamics I would be okay with that, but most modern cars are not only aesthetically ugly and all the same, they are also aerodynamically ugly, too. We had better aerodynamics decades ago.
Andrew Pam diaspora
EVs are starting to explore improved aerodynamics again as it really makes a difference to range. Look at the Aptera for example!
Adam Hunt diaspora
EV1
At least with the Aptera they made the effort:

Aptera

This was the GM EV1 though from the 1990s:
Ted Ewen (f) friendica
Of course there are other considerations like safety, maintenance, and ease of manufacturing but...
Maybe you’ve seen it: three lanes of midsize crossovers that could trade badges and nobody would notice. Those shapes are dictated by interior space, powertrain packaging, federal regulations, and production feasibility. But most of all, they’re designed for aerodynamic efficiency. When we started asking manufacturers around the country how that works, we realized that it’s not incredible that so many cars look so similar. It’s incredible that cars look different at all.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a21272157/aerodynamics-car-science/

The Aptera goes too far, passengers? Function? Nah - aerodynamic though.

As for the EV1 - well, it is a real sin that it wasn't continued - what a different world it could have been.
Something to be said for modular parts interchangeability.

A la Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time"
https://youtu.be/Hb9F2DT8iEQ
Adam Hunt diaspora
Bah, the "aerodynamics" argument doesn't wash for these SUVs, they are "drag buckets".
Back when it used to wash, there was a sudden interest in rear spoilers. These definitely don't have rear spoilers.
Adam Hunt diaspora
Well spoilers are to keep the back end of the car on the ground at higher speeds, to prevent it lifting off. It indicates a design deficiency (or at least a decorative affectation if it is not actually aerodynamically required). Needless to say they also contribute form drag and induced drag, as well, not to mention additional weight.
I say again--proof that aerodynamics has nothing to do with today's cars. Was I right, or was I right?
Adam Hunt diaspora
Certainly. I would say that spoiler is an expensive, drag inducing decoration.
I'd also say that aerodynamics in any vehicle on the public road would have had too much lift to be safe expecially on slick roads.
Adam Hunt diaspora
The key aerodynamic features you want to see in automobiles are all drag-reducing, not lift creating.
Adam Hunt diaspora
SUV
ie it should look more like a sand dune or water drop than like this:
Dean Calahan diaspora
I recall reading, or perhaps hearing an actual story (I used to know several Boeing engineers), that Ford paid Boeing to test the aerodynamics of the Taurus. As a joke, they ran one test with it backwards and found it had much lower drag that way.

Possibly simply apocryphal.
Not surprising, tho. The first guys at Kitty Hawk could tell you that aerodynamic near-zero-drag airflow above will result in lift below every time. The spoiler's job is to leave the forward aerodynamics alone while spoiling it at the end for better rear traction. An aerodynamic car would also have side skirts but in terms of lift, those would be counterproductive along the undercarriage (wind tunnel).
Forgot to mention fuel economy of combustion; today's designs look more and more alike because other designs didn't maximize fuel efficiency.
Dean Calahan diaspora
I got >40 MPG in a '95 Saturn driving downhill from the Rockies with a tailwind.
Dean Calahan diaspora
No spoiler on the Saturn, despite the salesman's attempts at a hard sell. His last words to me: "you're really going to make me swap out the (multi-hundred dollar!) hubcaps for stock?"

This website uses cookies to recognize revisiting and logged in users. You accept the usage of these cookies by continue browsing this website.