Dateline Edwards: British Steam Car Challenge

A 103 year old record was broken and surpassed on Edwards Air Force Base. Not by an aircraft, but instead, by a steam car.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Edwards Air Force Base
• Flight Test Nation
• Rogers Dry Lake
• Steam Car Challenge

[Persojet]

@KenMacMillan But where is the fun in that?

[KenMacMillan]

This thing is over engineered. They could've done better with a compound engine for a fraction of the cost.

[tommy35ss]

@steveBB30 Maybe it was it cheaper to build that way? They used technology in other areas such as aerodynamics. They just felt like after a 100 years the record needed to be broken again. Maybe to help stir interest in steam again. I wish car companies would give another look at steam with the advancements made over the last 80 years since the Doble

[LordSamuelJ]

wow they did a whole 5 mph faster than the Stanley Steamer that made the record in the first place. All this technology for 5 mph?

[OlympicClassDandy]

@Wodenhelm Hello; while steam cars can definitely be started with only a pilot light (such as the Stanley cars), a more modern mono-tubed system would require an electric start, like a Doble. The Doble's burner used a similar system to what you would find on a carburetor; a centrifugal blower creating an airflow over a venturi with a spark-plug ignition system.

[steveBB30]

Thumbs up for them attempting it, but thumbs down on their implementation...

IF you look up the specs of that machine you'll realise where the problems are...

Firstly it's thermal efficency is less than 10% and that's rubbish for steam turbine, even it it's part of a non-condensing cycle. As such fuel would have to be half the price to make it economic.

2n'd is the mass/bulk. Not helped by the volume of water they're carrying. Nor does it sound like their boiler design is the best.

[Wodenhelm]

Steam cars really should be revived for modern use. You can use absolutely anything that burns as fuel (think of the George W Bush gas prices here...), and cold weather killing a car battery wouldnt even be a problem, considering that they dont use batteries to start. A pilot light would keep the tank warm and pressure up.