Chinese shipbuilding industry
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
Yes.
Automation presents a large fixed cost and is only financially viable if you are pumping out enough products to cover that fixed cost. For production lines that experience low volumes, it would not be financially viable to automate them.
Large production volumes justify automation, which in turn further facilitates economies of scale through efficiency gains.
In civilian terms, we call it a hybrid. Although in this world there are many hybrid systems, the one closest to this is Nissan's e-power, which is not available in the US for a strange reason but is everywhere else. There's the Kicks e-power and the X-trail e-power (Rogue). Unlike other hybrids that have a clutch that will directly transfer mechanical power from the engine to the wheels combined with electric motors on situation by computer determination, e-power is 100 percent electric driven and the engine is purely for regenerating the batteries. Chinese PHEVs also follow this scheme.
In war, full electric drive was first used on land as the Porsche Tiger 1(P) and as the Elefant tank destroyer in WW2. Designer was Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, designer of the VW Beetle, whose son later founded the sports car company. It was an immature technology back then, and the failure rate of the Elefants contributed to the failure of the Battle of Kursk.
But because the implentation of electric drive goes so back early, the patents have so long expired and opens the gate for different companies to implement hybrid technologies without IP barriers.
The main advantages of using fully electric drive is the same as that of any EV. Great fuel economy via superior thermal efficiency along with full torque flat out from any RPM. This eliminates the need for any conventional transmission including belt driven CVT and double clutch transmissions. Then this added to what's uniquely for a car called regenerative braking, where the car on brake returns it's kinetic energy back to the battery and allows it to reuse again. Other collateral advantages include the removal of starter motors and alternators, fully electric driven aircons, double the life on your brakes. This improves reliability. With trucks and the like, it's about the torque that you can use to haul and tow things and the fuel economy. The instant torque is also vital for off-roading, and from this point you can see it's potential military benefits.
Article about increasing gap in shipbuilding capabilities between the US and China. Mentions that around 50 shipyards in China are capable of working with aircraft carriers and that there is a shipyard in China with more capability than all US shipyards combined.
It has its usual dose of cope.
It has its usual dose of cope.
How is this imbecile the Secretary of the Navy...