by SeaGypsy » Mon 27 Dec 2010, 09:50:42
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', '
')
Others have said it here and elsewhere: "Think about how much work a gallon of gasoline really does.... How many men would it take to push a 6000 lb SUV full of people and luggage 10 miles, and how long would it take? How much food would they eat to ingest the necessary calories to perform the task? With a gallon of gas? About 10 minutes, possibly less".
Pushing at relevant speed and accelleration; impossible.
Here's an idea you gave me Roy; consider it a PO.com theme park concept.
To demonstrate the human dimension of energy involved in this equation.
Set up a 50 ton flywheel.
Gear it down and down and down until you can get it moving with 100 people pushing pedal powered treadmill.
Gradually gear it up an pedal pedal pedal!!!
Theoreiticly these highly athletic people will generate 2 kilowatts of power; storing enough energy in the flywheel to accelerate said loaded SUV to 100kph and travel 2km (to be kind to our athlete's let's say a gradual acceleration peaking at the end point) will take approximately 3 days.
Release the clutch and PULL the SUV to highway speed in reasonable time and distance.
(DISCLAIMER: I am not a mathmetician; call the above figures an educated guess based on 100kw used out of 200kw capacity on an average SUV>)
I think that's about right, just taking off at the lights on a highway is the equivalent of 100 people working their backside off for about 3 days. Look at that in food calories 100 times 3000+ a day and high speed travel starts looking like a luxury.