So what did Tesla drive? (1930)

ott

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"Tesla Motors of 2006 runs on a electric motor with a rack of batteries.
Nik's Car was Wireless Dude! No need for downtime recharging it. Return to
Telsa Company like back in 1930. Wireless free radiant energy!

Nikola Tesla had an Electric Pierce Arrow back in 1930, the ICE engine was replaced with an Electric Motor. The power source was a black box of radio tubes, in the glove compartment. The box had an antenna sticking out. Tesla would fool with some tuners and tune in the right frequency and got 240 volts delivered through the air to his car. The car ran almost silent. He had the car stashed in a barn near Niguera Falls. He was sending the energy from the Power Plant, some how. He said this power could be made possible for everyone. J.P.Morgan (an agent of the Rothchilds, like so many -ott) did not like the idea, because where do you put the meter? Morgan stopped funding and Tesla's Wardencliffe Tower was taken down. We were denied FREE power. Now we pay for gas & SMOG.

Here is the story : In 1930, Nikola Tesla asked his nephew, Petar Savo, who was born in Yugoslavia in 1899, to come to New York. Petar was 43 years younger than his uncle. Up to that date he had lived under stringent conditions in Yugoslavia, Tesla's country of birth. During the summer of 1931, Tesla took his nephew to Buffalo to unveil and test a new automobile. Tesla had developed it with his own personal funds.

It was a Pierce Arrow, one of the luxury cars of the period. The engine had been removed, leaving the clutch, gearbox and transmission to the rear wheels undisturbed. The gasoline engine had been replaced with a round, completely enclosed electric motor of approximately 1m in length and 65cm in diameter, with a cooling fan in front. Reputedly, it has no distributor. Tesla was not willing to say who had manufactured the engine. It was possibly one of the divisions of Westinghouse.

The "energy receiver" (gravitational energy converter) had been built by Tesla himself. The dimensions of the converter housing were approximately 60 x 25 x 15cm. It was installed in front of the dashboard. Among other things, the converter contained 12 vacuum tubes, of which three were of the 70-L-7 type. A heavy antenna approximately 1.8 meters long, came out of the converter. This antenna apparently had the same function as that on the Moray converter (see chapter on Radiant Energy). Furthermore, two thick rods protruded approximately 10cm from the converter housing.

Tesla pushed them in saying "Now we have power." The motor achieved a maximum of 1800rpm. Tesla said it was fairly hot when operating, and therefore a cooling fan was required. For the rest, he said there was enough power in the converter to illuminate an entire house, besides running the car engine. The car was tested for a week, reaching a top speed of 90 miles per hour effortlessly. Its performance data were at least comparable to those of an automobile using gasoline. At a stop sign, a passerby remarked that there were no exhaust gasses coming from the exhaust pipe. Petar answered "We have no motor." The car was kept on a farm, perhaps 20 miles outside of Buffalo, not far from Niagara Falls."-taken from sig site
 
Sounds like mythological hyperbole to me.
 
No it's real... really inefficient that is... (only 0.5% transmitted)

This is for very long distances though... short distances do much better...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer

"Taking the theoretical example of transferring 50 MJ of energy from one place to another (see space elevator and space elevator economics): The base cost of payload transfer, given the current power grid rate of about US$0.11/kW·h = about US$0.03/MJ,[5] is around US$1.74/kg. Factoring for transmission losses, assuming current laser efficiencies of 2%, solar cell efficiencies of 30%, and atmospheric losses of about 20%, this works out to about 0.5% overall efficiency, or $350/kg."


180px-Suntower.jpg
 
Yep, reports of Tesla driving such a car have been pretty much proved to be BS (that's not a historically correct term - but you get the idea). I think there's a discussion of the lack of validity of the claim on wikipedia - but I was too bone idle to look it up.
 
180px-TeslaCoil645576.PNG


Tesla was excited about the idea:

"Instead of depending on induction at a distance to light the tube [... the] ideal way of lighting a hall or room would [...] be to produce such a condition in it that an illuminating device could be moved and put anywhere, and that it is lighted, no matter where it is put and without being electrically connected to anything. I have been able to produce such a condition by creating in the room a powerful, rapidly alternating electrostatic field. For this purpose I suspend a sheet of metal a distance from the ceiling on insulating cords and connect it to one terminal of the induction coil, the other terminal being preferably connected to the ground. Or else I suspend two sheets as [...] each sheet being connected with one of the terminals of the coil, and their size being carefully determined. An exhausted tube may then be carried in the hand anywhere between the sheets or placed anywhere, even a certain distance beyond them; it remains always luminous."
 
Maybe if everyone lived UNDERNEATH high power lines we could power our electrical devices by the radiant electrical waves they give off?

Think of how much the price of those "special" houses will go up if this becomes known... :wink:
 
safe said:
Maybe if everyone lived UNDERNEATH high power lines we could power our electrical devices by the radiant electrical waves they give off?

Think of how much the price of those "special" houses will go up if this becomes known... :wink:

From what I remember, Mythbusters did an episode on that. Trying to tap ultra high power lines for "free energy" or "free to me energy". They used some massive equipment and put them as close as they could safely. The massive contraption could only generate about enough power to run your watch.

I'm sure though you'll see that power in and power out are way off. If it takes a tremendous amount of power to light a light bulb, then why not wire it? There's also the safety issue, what happens if some device is able to receive this energy and it's not suppose to. Like a radio you are listening too just happens to have the right configuration for this energy output. *Ouch* :?
 
Nevertheless, even if it is fake (I think its exagerated), this is in Tesla's early period when Tesla was working on Niagra hydro for cash- and wireless(etc.) for his passion. He wouldn't get a g/f because it would take time away from his passion. His wireless was with high powered experiments; lots of juice!; he was obsessed with transmitting wireless energy. To Tesla pumping 100Kw to power a car would be childsplay.
(Incidentally the HAARP type global warmers use a variant type of this technology< in Alaska +600Mw into earth's electromagnetic ionosphere >)

Tesla had the practical side along with his epoch changing theories. He made stuff. Weren't the first cars made electric? They were plentyful at this time. Tesla would have had one at some point. I don't know, although it is incredible it is reasonable and probable- Tesla did transit energy, what more fun way to test it.

I'll give it plausible. not ridiculous considering all he invented which history gives him and a few history does not give him credit for-from lightbulbs to wireless to motors to generators to the wierd weather machine/death ray gun type to God knows what else. It sounds fantastic but so was Tesla. If anyone can give some sensible 'its bogus' information or use good sources I will adjust my position on the matter :wink:
 
ott said:
It sounds fantastic but so was Tesla. If anyone can give some sensible 'its bogus' information or use good sources I will adjust my position on the matter :wink:

Start here, good read:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/wireless-0607.html

They transmit power about 2 meters to light up a 60 watt bulb.

You'll notice that they try to dial in the direction so that it's pointing all the energy in the right place. If you try this with a perfect sphere shape energy field, the amount of energy doesn't double with distance, it increases on the exponent power. Not to mention if you have multiple devices drawing power in this same energy field. :shock:
 
If anyone can give some sensible 'its bogus' information or use good sources I will adjust my position on the matter

This is another place to start (not saying it's the only source one should trust - just a starting place): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_electric_car
 
Cell Phone Parallel?

Distance seems to be the enemy of this idea... the further from the power source the more power you lose. However, if you could set up a grid like the cell phone people do then maybe you could make the idea more practical. However, the moment you left town you might run low on energy. It might make sense for some local transportation, but why not just plug in your battery powered car and drive a short range? I guess the advantages are:

1. No batteries. (very lightweight cars become possible)

2. Range only limited by the grid. It's possible that major freeways could be "connector" tunnels of energy to go from big town to big town so as to use their grids.

The disadvantages:

1. Relatively high efficiency losses even within a grid.

2. Possible health concerns depending on how the power is distributed.
 
safe said:
The disadvantages:

1. Relatively high efficiency losses even within a grid.

2. Possible health concerns depending on how the power is distributed.

Yeah, both of those can really hinder such a move. If it was something that only used power when you used it, that would be one thing, but image just pumping out this massive amount of power 24/7 and it only being used half the time at it's fullest capacity?

The technology needed to prevent waste would be possible, just apply power as it's needed from cell based on the load, but it would take some new infrastructure to accomplish this that many don't want to pay. I imagine in the Billions just to get it started and going.

Health concerns another, not so much because of real concerns but because of paranoia and hype. There are people still trying to get wireless routers out of schools and public areas because they think it causes cancer or something else that kills people. Even though your wireless router transmits less radiation than what you get just standing outside or from your cell phone or microwave oven when you cook.
 
I have read some of his work and its way over my head. What I did gather is he was way beyond lighting a bulb up at 10 paces.

Anyway I thought the article was cool and knowing just a bit of Tesla's life and work I still say its plausible. How many volts did Tesla put through his body on a daily basis? The guy was too much.
 
safe said:
Cell Phone Parallel?

Distance seems to be the enemy of this idea... the further from the power source the more power you lose.

It's the ol' inverse square law at work -- easily visualized.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law
InverseSquareLaw.png
 
I suspect long term there may have been another minor problem with radiating humongous quanities of power in to the enviroment.
People dying, Ht power cables have already proven to increase certain illnesses and they are puny compared to Tesla's ideas.
 
interesting if slightly way out Tesla doc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTiiblwwLPk&mode=related&search=

seems he was much troubled about people using his ideas for destructive purposes.

interesting idea as to where he might have gone wrong http://amasci.com/tesla/tmistk.html
 
We studdied Tesla and his car in School. Tesla was a genuis, and a madman, but also a bit of a showman too.
90% of what is known about the car is B.S.
However, the idea isn't that far off.

What we do know about the magic car is this:
J.P.Morgan did split with Tesla, partly because Tesla insisted that electricity be delivered wirelessly, and partly because he was a nut-job who never did what he was asked to do.

The car did exsist, atleast as far as there being a car with an electric motor and some kind of "device". its possable it was battery operated, with the batteries hidden under the body. on a pierce arrowm, that would be very easy to do because of the way the body sits on the frame, with deep skirted running boards. it would have been the perfect car to shose if you were trying to hide batteries.

Tesla was trying to sell wireless power transmission to the big power companies as the standard, claiming it was to be cheaper and safer than stringing up power lines all over the country. The car was one of the demonstrations of what was possable without wires.


Tesla was working on wireless power transmission, and had found the principles of high voltage(in the millions to tens of millions of volts), high frequancy follow special laws diffrent from normal wireless transmission. if you plot the power disapation from the transmitter to the reciever, it looks more like the lines of force between 2 magnets, and not like the ripple in a pond disapation of normal, low voltage. it still doesn't go too far, but transmitting power a few city blocks to a couple of recievers wouldn't have suffered from large power drops. He was proposing that power be distributed in nodes, with a main line coming in every few blocks, and people setting up recievers within the grid when they needed power.

There are no creditable stories of Tesla driving the car off the farm, every story of the car on city streets has technical problems, such as people comenting about there being no exaust coming out of the tail pipe. When was the last time you noticed exaust coming out of the tailpipe of a luxury car? Its invisable. You wouldn't notice its absence. Most of those tales may be nothing more than Urban ledgends built around the original story.


Combining the idea of the Pierce Arrow being chosen because it could hide a large bank of batteries, with the idea that the transmitter was possable for short ranges, it explains why Tesla claimed it was kept in the barn to charge it. He denied there were batteries, but he did state once that it needed to charge. That being the case, its possable that the reciever was nothing more than a fancy wireless battery charger, and a lot of B.S. and marketing on Tesla's part.


Think Mohlar Sky car, 80 years earlier. Yes, the sky car flys... sort of..



1931-Pierce-Arrow-Sedan-Maroon-Side-fl4-1280x960.jpg
 
Drunkskunk - Thanks for the Tesla lesson. Well written and good insight. I really enjoyed reading this and learned a bit more about the infamous converted Pierce Arrow.
 
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