Returning to the flywheels. What appears to work in the lab may not work outside the lab. To get to a marketable product you need to build prototypes and test them in all sorts of environments. You need expensive tooling to do that. You need to deploy hundreds of staff for years. Then you need to work out how you'll produce in quantity (tens of millions of units per year). So that needs yet more people (engineers, tool makers, administrators, failure analysts, economists, accountants, insurance actuaries, technicians, software experst, materials experts, logistics managers and on and on and on) and all the infrastructure (don't forget the payroll taxes and other govt impositions) such as workstations, computers, tools, desks, building and offices, workshops etc, etc, etc. In the end, all going well, you (hopefully) have worked out how to make the damn things and make them economically enough so that people can afford to buy them.
Let's assume that you've also investigated whether the suppliers of the carbon fibres or graphite or nanotubes can ramp up their production to meet your projected orders (which you will be expected to guarantee so that they can cash raise to purchase the extra production capacity to meet your PROJECTED demand). This will have cost you the time of some mighty fine business analysts for a year or so at say $600.00 per hour. And we are not through yet. Not by far.
Now you (or rather, your top line team of A-list design engineers) have to design a car to integrate the flywheels properly into the overall design. You need to deal with safety, crash and failure issues. You also need to design balance-of-plant. You know, things like the control system the electric motor/generators to drive the wheels, the steering system (electro-hydraulic or electric or what?), brakes and so on. Any one of these details could doom your entre project and kill the company dead. There are many other things to deal with such as vehicle dynamics, suspension and handling and ride, NVH and even HVAC. And NO, we have not finished yet.
Once all this is accomplished (years and years of work for thousands of people) you have to actually buy and install the tooling in a factory, train the production staff and build some pre-production prototypes. These need to be tested and any alterations necessary must be incorporated in the production process so that the final vehicle is ready for market. Of course these late changes are really eye-wateringly expensive (and not a rare occurance, even for a completely conventional vehicle about to enter mass production- look up the literature for plenty examples). And still we need to invest yet more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
There's marketing, sales, logistics, training of technicians, training of customers, warranties and on it goes. It is likley there will be some recalls and what with Americans being so odd no doubt some of them will sue you, the manufacturer, for something or other (like they can't hear the engine or something dumb lke that).
And we, as yet, have no idea what costs the govt regulators will impose. All you can be guaranteed is that they will be irrational and EXPENSIVE. So you'd better hire a really good Washington lobby group and get ready to make plenty of campaign contributions to senators, congressmen and sundry others.
Surely you can see why the car-makers have yet to suddenly acceed to the childish wishings of those who want their unproved dream realised right now? Lovely yearings and musings coupled to towering demands placed on a chat group are no substitute for billions of dollars and the intelligence and experience to manage it.
Or if you can't understand that I'll put it this way. Why don't you guys spend your own time and money to build a prototype car? Just one. One that really works. No bull, no promisies, no talking; let's see a practicle working prortype. That's not too difficult, surely? |
Alternative Technology
