Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
How's this?
Driver + 3 passengers, 100km/h, 24hr duration. 50km range radio.
Driver + 3 passengers, 100km/h, 24hr duration. 50km range radio.
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Family grav car spec
- Thread starter Andrew Boulton
- Start date
Probably too long a duration. A typical car now has under 8 hours. most have 200-400mi of total range at cruise; given a cruise speed of 65mph, that's 3-6 hours duration.
Also, most have only receivers, not transceivers.
I'd give it:
Driver + 3 passengers, 200kph top speed, 12 hr duration and no radio. Plus I'd say cargo is limited to 250kg and it can't reach orbit: not pressurized and grav module is isn't powerful enough to overcome wind buffeting on worlds with an atmosphere.
median price cr 30,000
Driver + 3 passengers, 200kph top speed, 12 hr duration and no radio. Plus I'd say cargo is limited to 250kg and it can't reach orbit: not pressurized and grav module is isn't powerful enough to overcome wind buffeting on worlds with an atmosphere.
median price cr 30,000
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
As an aircraft, I'd say a radio is needed.
You'll never get the price down to Cr30k. I've managed ~Cr150k.
Revised minimum spec:
Driver + 3 passengers, 100km/h, 12hr duration. 50km range radio.
You'll never get the price down to Cr30k. I've managed ~Cr150k.
Revised minimum spec:
Driver + 3 passengers, 100km/h, 12hr duration. 50km range radio.
Rigel Stardin
SOC-13
Look at modern technology and see were it might go in the future.
The grav car would be linked to the planetary information system provided the owner with music, entertainment, information and communication from all over the globe. It would be a standard feature on the vehicles.
The grav car would be linked to the planetary information system provided the owner with music, entertainment, information and communication from all over the globe. It would be a standard feature on the vehicles.
I'm with Andrew, except for 12 hours at 200 kph. Covered, but not air-tight. Think a Hyundai Accent w/o wheels. Each passenger or 250 kg not carried increases max speed by 10%.
I agree with both Andrew and Rigel on the radio(s). An independant transciever is a given if it is to be a independant vehicle. In high LL/High Tech worlds, this might be illegal, though, and all driving might be automated.
I agree with both Andrew and Rigel on the radio(s). An independant transciever is a given if it is to be a independant vehicle. In high LL/High Tech worlds, this might be illegal, though, and all driving might be automated.
Rigel Stardin
SOC-13
Unless there is a function on the grav car where you can access the planet's automated driving system and the car automatically accepts the government's protocols... thus making you legal...
The 250kg cargo might be too much, maybe just 4 passengers + 100kg cargo/luggage.
The cell comm system would most likely be there as a redundancy, because the regular citizen of this time would probably have a comm/pc, for phone entertainment; so I agree there would be some sort of communications.
I've done 10hr duration under MT (including errata) for KCr7.5... the radio adds 250 credits and takes under a liter... and adding another couple liters of fuel is no big deal. And no extra cost.
But even now, there isn't actually a requirement for an aircraft to mount a radio transceiver. (There is to fly in various restricted airspace, but it's entirely possible to fly around Alaska and never need a radio... unless landing in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau.)
And 12 hours duration is RIDICULOUSLY long for a family vehicle. most can't make 8. Many can't make 4 hours at cruise.
Families that is, right, you mean familes (individuals) can last 8 hours or 4 hours.
Dave Chase
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Useful certainly, not necessarily needed imo. No more so than one needs one in a car today. More like personal communications, like cell phones today, I'd think. It sounds more like you're seeing it used like an airplane is today, and not a flying car
As a private airplane yes it will be pricier, and rarer for that. As a flying car of the future, where there's at least one in every (average income) family, it's got to be cheaper Are you sure you're building a personal operator family vehicle? As noted long endurance (duration/range) is not a big factor. Nor would be advanced electronics.
Personally my idea of specs for a family grav car would be:
Driver plus 3 passengers (option for 2 more cramped)
Trunk/Boot ~1m3 (70kg)
Range ~400km
Speed ~100kph
and most crucially...
Price ~Cr29,999 (or less) at TL8...
...else it won't meet the wage requirements (if Cr8,000 monthly*) to be affordable enough to be in wide use and production. There will be cheaper models (down to about half that) and luxury models above that (up to four times or more). Economy models will be less comfortable, smaller (cramped for 4 people and smaller or no trunk), and probably with less performance. Luxury models will be more comfortable, larger (roomy for 6 people with more trunk space) and with more performance.
* If wages go up with TL then so will the price, with added features, contrary to the idea in LBB4 where cost goes down. So your KCr150 model might be suitably ubiquitous at a high enough TL
Just curious what rules set you're building it under.
Similar to mine:
Range: ≥250mi... approximately 400km...
Endurance ≥4 hours.
Speed ≥100kph
Driver+3pass
0.5m³ and 250kg cargo space (typical grocery run)
Maximum price under KCr10 at TL9 on a world with a breathable atmosphere
Don't forget something like the grav vehicle version of the Ute or Hummer that isn't a heavy-duty military grade vehicle, but either looks like one for marketing sake (oh, and wouldn't that be funny to pawn off on a group of adventurers) and isn't nearly as rugged - but is cheaper -, or just replaces the number of passengers and/or comforts for toughening the vehicle at a more marketable price. Like Hummer vs. HUMMV for the first case and Jeep Cherokee vs. Ute for the second.
Like for the Ute type it could have the 3 ton profile, two passengers, 20 hr duration, limited in-city flight controls (the city controls take over for in-city low altitude control, but outside the city you take over for kill-yourself-if-you-want flight), radio (it's wide in the alien outback), and maybe 2 tons cargo and towing capability for another 4 tons. Yes, a grav vehicle could tow like a hovercraft at the flick of a switch or use a grav sled cargo platform design.
The Hummer type might look like a real military-grade air/raft (even right down to the dark-tint "armored" windows, chunky fenders, and "gun-mount" next to the moon roof) but it's really just a plush Crossover type SUV with cushy seats, good stereo, and lots of chrome n' leather. But it has no guts to it and gets lousy "mileage" - read, breaks down a lot unless regularly serviced and kept in a clean garage. But it looks real dangerous when it crunches down in a parking lot at the local big-box hardware store next to those puny little ground cars.
Like for the Ute type it could have the 3 ton profile, two passengers, 20 hr duration, limited in-city flight controls (the city controls take over for in-city low altitude control, but outside the city you take over for kill-yourself-if-you-want flight), radio (it's wide in the alien outback), and maybe 2 tons cargo and towing capability for another 4 tons. Yes, a grav vehicle could tow like a hovercraft at the flick of a switch or use a grav sled cargo platform design.
The Hummer type might look like a real military-grade air/raft (even right down to the dark-tint "armored" windows, chunky fenders, and "gun-mount" next to the moon roof) but it's really just a plush Crossover type SUV with cushy seats, good stereo, and lots of chrome n' leather. But it has no guts to it and gets lousy "mileage" - read, breaks down a lot unless regularly serviced and kept in a clean garage. But it looks real dangerous when it crunches down in a parking lot at the local big-box hardware store next to those puny little ground cars.
Especially if one sets relatively reasonable price limits... like not more than double a ground car of comparable role.
Used the price could fall dramatically, plus imagine the fun of some Blues Brothers type scenario with a former grav police car.
There was a similar discussion a long while back about cheap family grav cars over at the Mongoose forum. The debate of course included MGT's vehicle creation rules (instead of CT or MT) and I created a couple cheap "Jet Cars" using only the Lift Drives and Jet Engines of MGT's vehicle creation rules. Lift Drives were lower grade versions of grav drives that could only hover or more at very slow speeds (used in cargo sleds, for example). These Lift Jet Cars were much cheaper then an air/raft and could not reach orbit with the ease of a full grav car. They still were quite speedy. The two examples in the PDF below came in at 30k (light) and 60k (medium).
Jet Cars PDF
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Jet Cars PDF
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