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posted by CoolHand on Friday May 15 2015, @03:40PM   Printer-friendly
from the need-for-speed dept.

Spotted at Laughing Squid is an link to the Jet Powered Go-Kart developed by Colin Furze.

From the linked YouTube video summary:

So it's finished and it's brilliant, it's stable it starts easy and the fuel system after a slight redesign (see website) works perfectly. Top speed so far is 60mph but i run out of airstrip so might be more in it.

More details are available at Colin's project site. Colin is also known for previously developing this Jet powered bicycle.

 
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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Friday May 15 2015, @05:26PM

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday May 15 2015, @05:26PM (#183413)

    I've never really understood why people bother making things like this; too much free time I guess. It's completely impractical and useless for real-world applications. I can't see the video with the link I have here, but this appears to be a pulse-jet [wikipedia.org] (not a turbojet, the more common type of "jet engine"), something that's never been used for anything besides WWII V-2 buzz bombs. As seen in the Wikipedia link, they have poor specific impulse, though they do seem to be efficient at converting fuel to heat (which isn't really a plus for a vehicular application; it is good for building heating though, except these things make a horrible amount of noise).

    Jet engines of any kind are terrible choices for ground vehicles, because ground vehicles need to be able to change speeds quickly, and jet engines suck at that. That's why efforts at making turbine-powered vehicles in the late 60s went nowhere. They're good for aircraft because of high power-to-weight ratios and because aircraft don't need to change their throttle much during operation, but ground cars need to be able to idle efficiently, accelerate fast, and then cruise efficiently. This is why electric vehicles (or hybrid-electrics) do so well.

    What I'd be interested in seeing is someone making a serial hybrid turboelectric vehicle: use a small turbine (a recycled truck turbocharger would probably be the right size) running at optimum speed, attached to a generator, to generate electricity, while of course powering the wheels with electric motors. This should have some advantages over cars like the Chevy Volt, where the on-board gasoline engine generates electricity, but requires a lot of mass and volume to do so compared to a turbine. With the much-smaller turbine, that should free up a lot of space and weight which can be used for batteries instead.

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  • (Score: 2) by looorg on Friday May 15 2015, @05:33PM

    by looorg (578) on Friday May 15 2015, @05:33PM (#183417)

    What I'd be interested in seeing is someone making a serial hybrid turboelectric vehicle: use a small turbine (a recycled truck turbocharger would probably be the right size) running at optimum speed, attached to a generator, to generate electricity, while of course powering the wheels with electric motors. This should have some advantages over cars like the Chevy Volt, where the on-board gasoline engine generates electricity, but requires a lot of mass and volume to do so compared to a turbine. With the much-smaller turbine, that should free up a lot of space and weight which can be used for batteries instead.

    While not a personal vehicle, they are doing just this with buses already. It's widely available thru out Europe. They seem to work fine. The drawback is that high-pitch whining noise when the turbine kicks in. But you get used to that I guess.

    • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday May 15 2015, @05:46PM

      by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday May 15 2015, @05:46PM (#183422)

      The drawback is that high-pitch whining noise when the turbine kicks in. But you get used to that I guess.

      Yeah, but how does that compare to the horrible sound of a big diesel engine, which produces a lot of low-frequency noise which can be heard and felt far away? (And on top of that, those diesel engines all come additionally with their own turbochargers, so you get the low-frequency noise of the diesel piston engine plus the high-frequency whine of the turbo.)

      It's also probably better in that, with these buses you refer to, you probably don't have the nasty clouds of black diesel smoke being blasted in the faces of pedestrians as the bus drives by.

      I wonder if they have any of those buses here in the US. Sounds very interesting. Any idea what fuel they run on? I'm guessing it's some kind of diesel or jet fuel, unless they've come up with a smallish turbine which doesn't require a lubricating fuel and can be lubricated separately, in which case they could power it from natural gas. Non-power-plant-sized turbines usually seem to need a lubricating fuel.

      • (Score: 2) by looorg on Friday May 15 2015, @05:59PM

        by looorg (578) on Friday May 15 2015, @05:59PM (#183428)

        I didn't mind the sound of the old buses that much, or I was used to it -- just like I'm getting used to this now. The big upside indeed seems to be you don't smell the bus or choke at the exhaust as it goes by. From what I know, based on personal experience due to traveling between cities for work, there are different combos depending on how hybrid they are. There is the diesel engines and turbine combo, there is the natural-gas and turbines (usually denoted as being "green") once and finally then there are some with battery, diesel and a turbine. They seem to switch it around if it is a city bus (usually battery and/or gas), or if its a commuter bus out to the suburbs or more long distance between cities in which case they tend to want diesel to.

    • (Score: 5, Funny) by Kromagv0 on Friday May 15 2015, @06:27PM

      by Kromagv0 (1825) on Friday May 15 2015, @06:27PM (#183441) Homepage

      It's widely available thru out Europe. They seem to work fine. The drawback is that high-pitch whining noise

      I thought that was just the French.

      --
      T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
    • (Score: 2) by Zinho on Friday May 15 2015, @08:08PM

      by Zinho (759) on Friday May 15 2015, @08:08PM (#183467)

      While it's not exactly affordable or in mass production, the Jaguar C-X75 [google.com] is a serial hybrid turboelectric personal vehicle. I'd imagine that the turbines can run at peak efficiency most of the time to keep the battery topped up properly, although from the reviews draining the battery and redlining both turbines gives quite good acceleration while the battery lasts.

      --
      "Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
  • (Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @05:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @05:45PM (#183421)
    Humans engage in many impractical and useless activities, Mr. Spock. They're referred to as "hobbies," and produce what is known as "fun."
    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday May 17 2015, @09:04AM

      by Bot (3902) on Sunday May 17 2015, @09:04AM (#183994) Journal

      I thought your definition of "fun" were about redshirts of the opposite sex, Captain.

      --
      Account abandoned.
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @05:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @05:55PM (#183425)

    I've never really understood why people bother making things like this; too much free time I guess. It's completely impractical and useless for real-world applications

    Said by every hater of fun about every invention ever from the first wheel to the first smartphone. Yet here we are with cars and panes and all the internets anyone could want. Fun, enjoyment, and a good life is waiting to be had with any decision to actually do something rather than expect others to care about your own ignorance of what lurks in the hearts of others.

    What I'd be interested in seeing is someone making a serial hybrid turboelectric vehicle

    Great! That person is you.

    use a small turbine (a recycled truck turbocharger would probably be the right size) running at optimum speed, attached to a generator, to generate electricity, while of course powering the wheels with electric motors. This should have some advantages over cars like the Chevy Volt, where the on-board gasoline engine generates electricity, but requires a lot of mass and volume to do so compared to a turbine. With the much-smaller turbine, that should free up a lot of space and weight which can be used for batteries instead.

    You have even entered the high-level planning stage! Clearly you are the someone for the job. Get to it! Put down the keyboard angst and pick up a welder on the way home from work. Enjoy your life.

    • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Friday May 15 2015, @09:51PM

      by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Friday May 15 2015, @09:51PM (#183500) Journal

      Uhhh...there IS a logical and practical reason.....you ever see how much MONEY can be made off those "jackass" style vids on YouTube? Not to mention getting paid to bring crazy shit like this onto TV shows? This jackass is laughing his way to the bank dude, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make at least 4 times what he put into it which is a pretty damned good ROI any way you slice it.

      --
      ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday May 16 2015, @02:08PM

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday May 16 2015, @02:08PM (#183759) Journal

        How much money? I'm truly curious.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
        • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Saturday May 16 2015, @03:58PM

          by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Saturday May 16 2015, @03:58PM (#183775) Journal

          Well I've heard a YouTuber with popular content can makes thousands a month, I know that its reported that Jim Sterling (he makes vids about video gaming, focusing on stupid and shitty Steam games) is making around 60k a year JUST on his YouTube vids and he is by no means the top of the heap. Since these "Jackass style" videos can reach in the 10s of millions of views? I would be really surprised if he made less than 100k a year JUST from the footage, this isn't counting appearances.

          Considering that thing probably cost less than a grand to build? That is a hell of a ROI.

          --
          ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
          • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Sunday May 17 2015, @02:09AM

            by Phoenix666 (552) on Sunday May 17 2015, @02:09AM (#183918) Journal

            Wow, I had no idea. Thanks for that.

            It's funny, because though I cut the cable years ago and have had Netflix ever since, I'm starting to find I'm surfing through it aimlessly the way I used to cable. Now I watch YouTube videos more and more. Guess it translates into revenue for them.

            --
            Washington DC delenda est.
            • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday May 18 2015, @09:55AM

              by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Monday May 18 2015, @09:55AM (#184430) Journal

              Me too, haven't had cable in years or personally owned a TV in years (mother just loves the new wife so bought her a 40 inch TV for Xmas, even with a dozen OTA channels here the wife maybe watches 2 hours a week as the rest of the time she's on the net) and like you I've been spending more and more time on YouTube.

              I find YouTube not only more entertaining but (at least for me) educational as well, I've picked up a ton of new bass riffs by watching tutorials for music styles I don't normally play like jazz and since I started playing War Thunder (If you like WWII or multiplayer games you should try it, nothing like the yucks had slaughtering Panzers in a big lumbering derpy multiturret T-35 or LMAO when some BF109 thinks he has an easy kill on my Ozzie Wirraway flying treetop only to have him blown out the sky when I drop a bomb with a 2 second delay, tee hee hee!) I've started watching videos by guys that are really good at the game and its seriously upped my fun by showing me funny "thinking out the box" tricks like the bomb trick or how to flip on the landing flaps to do the Top Gun "Throw on the brakes and he'll fly right by" move, its just sooooo satisfying!

              So now I honestly couldn't even tell you what is on TV on any given day anymore, that format just holds no appeal to me. BTW we are far from the only ones as I do a lot of house calls for kids at the local college dorms and I have yet to see actual OTA or cable programming on their TV sets, all of them are being used as monitors.

              --
              ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by kaszz on Friday May 15 2015, @11:06PM

      by kaszz (4211) on Friday May 15 2015, @11:06PM (#183543) Journal

      I've never really understood why people bother making things like this; too much free time I guess. It's completely impractical and useless for real-world applications

      Said by every hater of fun about every invention ever from the first wheel to the first smartphone.

      So true!

      This particular device may not be a game changer worth reporting about. But doing it is certainly educational and may lead to something that is a game changer. Doing things because they make you curious regardless of detractors is what fuels progress. People that "have too much free time" does wonderful things because they got enough time!

  • (Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Friday May 15 2015, @06:39PM

    by Kromagv0 (1825) on Friday May 15 2015, @06:39PM (#183446) Homepage

    I've never really understood why people bother making things like this

    Because they can. Same reason why people climb Everest, build a boat out of bricks (yes it floats my kids have a Ripley's believe it or not book on strange vehicles), build cars to set land speed records, paint pictures, etc.

    --
    T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
    • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday May 15 2015, @06:53PM

      by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday May 15 2015, @06:53PM (#183452)

      There's a difference between an artistic pursuit (painting pictures), physical feats (climbing mountains), and being an "inventor".

      If you're just fucking around making useless objects, that's fine, but don't call yourself an "inventor". The whole point of invention is to make useful things which solve real-world problems. TFA says this guy is an "inventor".

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @07:05PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @07:05PM (#183455)

        Do you consider someone who designs toys to not be an inventor? I would never say anything like that as I have seen some seriously crazy toys.

        He conceived of his own toy and made it happen.

        Would I build something like that? No.

        Not everything has to have a serious point. Sometimes the point is to screw around and enjoy what you can do. I spent months ripping 2k in dvds. Why? Because it was interesting to me to have an on demand media library. Yet I could *just* as easy get off the couch and pop in a disc. Now everyone who comes to my house enjoys my media center.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @08:08PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 15 2015, @08:08PM (#183468)

        If you're just fucking around making useless objects, that's fine, but don't call yourself an "inventor".

        Says you.

        He wanted to build a thing, and he built it. The problem to be solved was in the wanting and in the doing. Those are real-word problems that he did solve. So even if accepting that vacuous interpretation, he is still an inventor.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Squidious on Friday May 15 2015, @08:17PM

    by Squidious (4327) on Friday May 15 2015, @08:17PM (#183470)

    For the YouTube hits. Lots of people make a liveable income (and more) off of YouTube, Patreon, etc. Content creation for the win.

    --
    The terrorists have won, game, set, match. They've scared the people into electing authoritarian regimes.
  • (Score: 2, Funny) by rufty on Friday May 15 2015, @09:02PM

    by rufty (381) on Friday May 15 2015, @09:02PM (#183484)
    Impractical and useless? Next you'll be saying you won't be using his jet powered kettle [youtube.com].
  • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Friday May 15 2015, @09:48PM

    by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Friday May 15 2015, @09:48PM (#183495) Journal

    I was able to watch the video and you can tell from the heat and the "buzz" that its just a buzz bomb motor. The reason they called them buzz bombs was the pulse jet makes a distinct buzzing noise as the way it works is just a bunch of little explosions with a flap and a tube which is why the Nazis used it, you could build 'em with slaves as they required very little engineering for the motors.

    While its okay if you want a "jackass" style clip I'd be more impressed if he was able to make a motorjet [wikipedia.org]. Your idea of yanking the turbo off a truck would probably work for a motorjet and unlike a buzzbomb you wouldn't be wasting 90% of the energy as waste heat. In the video you can see the pipes glowing red hot so most of the energy is just being turned into waste heat.

    --
    ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday May 15 2015, @11:40PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday May 15 2015, @11:40PM (#183569)

    I believe you're looking for this beauty [wikipedia.org]