Toyota Creates "Hybrid" Roller Coaster

[nitrofan]

Yes, you heard that right. This may just be a far out advertisement, but I found it interesting. I saw this Toyota commercial the other day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8iFqz1Ogig

I think it is a stretch that anything like this would happen anytime soon and it would probably be too expensive to be worth it, but what if they really could build a Hybrid Roller Coaster with a braking system like the Prius some day? What does everyone think about this concept?

[Austin]

Thats actually a really old commercial but I think it will happen one day. It wouldn't be too expensive plus it would give back to the power grid/reduce their energy needs leading to it paying itself off. It would be interesting to see how it could be implemented in magnetic braking. Seems like it needs contact breaking like fins/skid brakes.

[nitrofan]

Thats actually a really old commercial but I think it will happen one day. It wouldn't be too expensive plus it would give back to the power grid/reduce their energy needs leading to it paying itself off. It would be interesting to see how it could be implemented in magnetic braking. Seems like it needs contact breaking like fins/skid brakes.

Well it sounds like it would run similarly to the Prius, taking the thermal energy captured from the brakes, they could take some of that energy to possibly run the lift. Some energy is given off in other ways, such as sound energy, so they would still need to use some power to run the lift, but it would be signifigantly reduced.

I think one day it could be affordable, but considering it has never been done before on this scale, I think it would be very expensive, and there probably wouldn't be much money saved in the energy savings. Anything something is a prototype, it always costs more.

[Austin]

Still, It creates power the park needs cutting back its need for energy bought from the local energy companies. If a Prius can do it with thermal braking I'm sure it wouldnt be too much more to enlarge the scale of it all to be used on brake runs and trims(possibly).

ADMIN EDIT: No updates on this in a while. It must not have really been a serious concept. Thread Locked.