 So, what do cars run on in 2070?, Oil? Electricity? Soylent Ork? |
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 Dec 24 2006, 01:02 AM
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#1
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Shooting Target  Group: Members Posts: 1,598 Joined: 24-May 03 Member No.: 4,629  |
Just got to thinking about how the PetroChempire situation seems to have staggered in teh Sixth World, but, at the same time, there's still activity in the middle east an oil getting pumped. From where I have *no* idea, but, they're scraping those barrels.
The question is, then; What are the cars being powered by? Biodisel? Hydrogen? Rechargable batteries? Still chugging gas? Anybody know? |
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Dec 24 2006, 01:05 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 584 Joined: 15-April 06 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 8,466 |
My guess would be electric, fuel cells, and biodiesel.
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Dec 24 2006, 01:05 AM
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#3
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,526 Joined: 9-April 06 From: McGuire AFB, NJ Member No.: 8,445 |
Most of them in Seattle are run on batteries powered through induction from the city ran GridGuide. Though you can still get vehicles that are ran using some form of fuel burning. I'm pretty sure they have moved past petrol and are using some sort of alternative like hydrogen or some organic type fuel.
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Dec 24 2006, 01:26 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 223 Joined: 6-December 06 Member No.: 10,259 |
Before the first Crash there was (is) a large petrol/car company "conspiracy" to keep cars running on gas. The Crahs fixed all that. IMO, (and not based on anything in the books, which I don't have that many of) anyway.
After that, well, my guess is the newcomers tried to reduce the importance of fuel as quickly as possible in order to undermine the old-timers' powerbases. |
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Dec 24 2006, 01:56 AM
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#5
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
There are solar cells in SR3 that can keep almost any ground-based vehicle running indefinitely (though it doesn't account for Seattle being one of the most cloud-covered cities in North America, but logic and SR vehicle rules have never gone together). Otherwise, there's GridLink (GridGuide is what navigates cars), which is tied into the city's fusion and renewable energy production systems. Methane has also been used, but petroleum products are also still used for certain vehicles (planes, mostly) based on some sort of excuse about thrust or power usage. But generally speaking, while the world has long-since passed the Hubbert Peak, it has not run out of oil. Plus, there is coal gasification. The United States currently has enough coal to last until approximately 2175, and most of it is within the UCAS. Canada, IIRC, has quite a bit as well.
There is a lot about oil production that was assumed and then glossed over from the beginning in keeping with the whole cyberpunk genre, and SR's never really done a good job of covering petroleum politics (e.g., how Saeder-Krupp miraculously became the king of the middle east while most of the largest corporations are still in existence and without the House of Saud selling them the entirety of ARAMCO). |
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Dec 24 2006, 02:45 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 147 Joined: 4-December 06 From: Chicago, IL Member No.: 10,193 |
I don't have a book at work with me, but I'm pretty sure it says that they're run on electricity unless otherwise noted.
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Dec 24 2006, 02:49 AM
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#7
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Target Group: Members Posts: 16 Joined: 31-July 06 Member No.: 8,996 |
In the books and references in game, virtually everything is electric. I think one book mentioned a powered grid but all vehicles had batteries as well. Several books reference a road grid for autopilots.
I think you could get bio-diesel versions of everything pretty easy. The latest solar cells today are a lot more effecient than than a few years ago, but still can't generate a lot of power per sqr/meter. Certainly not enough to run even a sub-compact car. |
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Dec 24 2006, 05:08 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 261 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Massachusetts Member No.: 2,115 |
In previous editions, the most common internal combustion engine fuel was Methanol. So... if you want consistency with SR cannon, that's your common liquid fuel.
Methanol isn't something that there's much support for as a fuel IRL, but it would be pretty easy to imagine some cheap bacterial technique that just happened to generate it really cheap. |
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Dec 24 2006, 05:14 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 500 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Salt Lake UT Member No.: 9,299 |
Soylent Ork?! :]
You RACIST BASTARD!!! :D |
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Dec 24 2006, 07:28 AM
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#10
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
You have to do something with creatures that birth in litters.
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Dec 24 2006, 09:39 AM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 500 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Salt Lake UT Member No.: 9,299 |
Heh, Tell that to my brother Darl and my other brother Darl smartass. :]
I know grocery getters are mostly electric but I'm thinking that most of the heavier vehicles need more torque. [edit] I mean more torque for extended periods of time of course.[/edit] If Arsenal deals with those kinds of details and it has stuff like the Nordcap road trains (fingers crossed) I'm betting we'll see alot of internal combustion. Either that or all the free power from shadowrun fusion reactors and japanacorp microwave satalite power transmiters makes a hydrogen economy feasable. I've always wondered what shadowrun batteries are capable of. Maybe arithmeticly inclined persons like FrankT or Demerzel could reverse engineer the SR3 lazer weapons and tell us how much power their batteries can store. |
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Dec 24 2006, 04:52 PM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
Well consider today you can buy a sports car with rediculous torque at zero RPMs and still get 250 miles per charge.
See: Tesla Motors. While I don't generally like to extrapolate today's technology into SR on principal (They are different universes), batterey technology has a lot of room for growth. |
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Dec 24 2006, 05:39 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 289 Joined: 20-February 04 From: in the matrix Member No.: 6,091 |
in my campaign it is either electric or BioDiesal. BioDiesal engines will run just about forever as long as you keep them full of oil and you dont do anything stupid. a BD car engine in a regular "VW"/Honda/Toyata type care will get 250k miles at a minimum. And get north of 40mpg. Semi trucks can get 250k easily, generally north of 300k.
just my opinion... dog |
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Dec 24 2006, 08:40 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 261 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Massachusetts Member No.: 2,115 |
dog -
What corp is making a shit-ton of money on Biodiesel sales? The problem with Biodiesel is that we don't know an easy way to make it without taking up a shitload of space yet. I guess in 2070 you could set up some compact electricity -> hydroponics -> algae plant, but I think there's still an extra step from there over methanol. My guess is that in 2070, if diesel engines are common they'll normally be running off of diesel from coal rather than diesel from soy or microorganisms - it's just cheaper. |
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Dec 24 2006, 10:29 PM
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#15
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
A previous freelancer did that a long time ago, but his SR page is currently down. The most relevant link I could find is this. |
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Dec 25 2006, 12:00 AM
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#16
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,537 Joined: 27-August 06 From: Albuquerque NM Member No.: 9,234 |
The assorted EE type I deal with elsewhere are suggesting that batteries will be replaced with super capacitors well before this point. The cool thing is capacitors are capable of dumping their entire charge in a tiny amount of time. Can you say "energy grenade"? |
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Dec 25 2006, 12:25 AM
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#17
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Horror Group: Members Posts: 5,322 Joined: 15-June 05 From: BumFuck, New Jersey Member No.: 7,445 |
I'm pretty sure I already suggested those, as a form of EMP grenade. A super capacitor discharging through an electromagnetic series.
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Dec 25 2006, 12:33 AM
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#18
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
my guess would be a kind of biodiesel/metanol+capitator/battery with gridlink unduction and/or solar backup.
as in, the wheel will be directly powered by electrical engines, but where said electricity comes from could be any number of sources. and most likely more then one pr vehicle. you have diesel or methanol for long haul, with battery or capitator storage (kinda like the prius or whatever). when within a city you can go gridlink on the main roads, saving fuel and recharging the batteries at the same time. hell, it may even be that your engine can burn methanol and diesel interchangeably... |
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Dec 25 2006, 01:23 AM
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#19
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,598 Joined: 24-May 03 Member No.: 4,629 |
I was *wondering* if anyone'd catch that or not. :) As for the cars, GridLink's fine for innercity drivers, but, when you have interstate commerce, such as trucking interests, or off-grid drivers like many zero zones or the backwoods (Yes, Virginia, there's life outside the 'Plex!), there's gotta be something. If only because having Joe and Kimiko Corp wander into teh Bad Part of town, where motorcycles belch fire and roar around ... well, that's just too good of an image to mess with. It just isn't the same when the Ork gang comes gliding up on Segueways. *bzzzzzzzzzt* "Out of our turg, breeders!" *bzzzzzzzzzzzt* |
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Dec 25 2006, 01:27 AM
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#20
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Is that a combination of burg and turf in City Speak, or is it Or'zet for Candy Store? |
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Dec 25 2006, 01:34 AM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 178 Joined: 4-September 05 Member No.: 7,682 |
I see nothing to indicate that the vehicles of 2070 are powered any differently than the vehicles of 2064. Paraphrased from Rigger 3:
Electric Batteries - Low performance but cheap Electric Fuel Cell - Better performance than batteries; uses hydrogen to generate electricity Methane - Popular in the NAN and other eco-friendly places Gasoline - Primary source for most ground and air vehicles, and some aircraft. Restricted in the NAN and some metroplexes Diesel - Better for large vehicles Jet Turbines - Usually for aircraft, but some ground vehicles use them too. Nuclear (fission OR fusion) - Naval vessels and space stations only |
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Dec 25 2006, 01:38 AM
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#22
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Damn! And I wanted a nuclear-powered Harley. :(
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Dec 25 2006, 01:46 AM
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#23
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,086 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 364 |
"Gasoline is harmful to both living beings and the atmosphere, as your people discovered. I have installed a Minbari power source instead. Clean and efficient." -- Lennier, Babylon 5, Season 1, "Eyes" |
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 Dec 25 2006, 02:11 PM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 269 Joined: 8-November 04 Member No.: 6,817 |
I'm pretty sure a viable reactor that small is impossible, unless nuclear power is vastly different in 2070. But it would have been sorta cool. |
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Dec 25 2006, 02:19 PM
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#25
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
hell they experimented with real life nuclear powered aircrafts and cars.
problem was that unless you wanted to kill the market (literary) the amount of lead shielding made the power to weight impractical at best. |
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