Re: version 3.0: The MR2 gets a gas turbine engine (Project Outline)
I think that you are going to have pretty inescapable problems trying to connect a turbine engine to the ground through a $500 crapcan. The free turbine in lieu of torque converter that the Boeing hotrod guy used was pretty much as good as such a thing is going to get.
Trying to get power out of a turbine engine is a challenge under even the best circumstances. The small ones especially are designed to run within limited RPM ranges and limited power output levels. Outside of those ranges they tend to cook turbine blades, and they also encounter harmonic resonances that cause fatigue, cracking, and premature separation of important bits.
If this was my assignment, I think that I would hunt up an old GPU trailer complete with T-62 turbine and generator, and cram the trailer's contents into the car atop the electric motor that drives the transaxle. Then it becomes a wiring problem. What could possibly go wrong?
why do we keep coming back to electric like it's a magic bullet and electric motors weigh nothing?
the T62 based generator seen here: http://www.avonaero.com/T62T32%20gen%20set.htm weighs 950lbs. most of that is the generator head and it only makes 80HP
we would then need a minimum of 200lbs of electric motors and we'd still only put geo sized power down to the ground with what has become a 5000lb car.
i'm not looking for the easy way out. i'm looking for a technical challenge that will be a fun to succeed in.