AirBoss 405 Hovertruck

[sabredog]

This is a generic "hovertruck" design I came up with for cheap export to the colony worlds out on the rim of my Terran Empire (and because the players were on a hovercraft jag for a while).

It's cheap and plentiful, and easy to customize to a wide range of duties. The AirBoss 810 is roughly twice the size and capacities. It's pretty no-frills design makes it easy to repair and get cheap parts. In some far colony worlds you can often find them with steel plate armor welded on and fitted with light weapons for colony defense.

Just picture a pickup truck without the wheels and you get the idea.

Grumman AirBoss 405 Hovertruck TL-9

200,000 CR

Hovertrucks are ubiquitous ACV’s on the Rim worlds because they offer some of the same advantages of grav vehicles with a vastly reduced expense and ease of repair. They come in a variety of sizes but the “average” hovertruck is the modular Grumman AirBoss 405.

The AirBoss has a modular design to the cargo bed that allows for quick and easy conversion to a variety of tasks without having to rely on special tools or skills. The truck has room in the cabin for driver and 3 passengers (seating 2 in front & 2 in back). The cabin has 4 doors. Standard equipment is a 100 power radio, headlights, and collision protection equipment for the passengers.

The basic truck has an open flatbed that can be adapted to carry any bulk cargo of up to 5 cubic meters and weighing 5 metric tons. Latches and tie-down points are included to allow a standard ship container of 1 ton configuration to be carried. Cargo box modules are available for ambulance, fire, and other special purpose designs and are easily adapted by the purchaser. A standard passenger module has seating and climate control for 10 passengers.

Dimensions: 4mL x 1.8mH x 1.6mW Weight: 13 tons Ship Tonnage: 6 tons

Speed: 200kph Power Plant: 2mw Fusion Plant (P/W = 153) Fuel: 30 liters (10 hour range)

Cargo Capacity: 5 cubic meters (5 tons bulk) or 1 Ship Ton (in standard container)

Armor: All sides (5 points) composites (or Cloth for Classic Traveller)

 

[Icosahedron]

Neat.

It's very similar to the 'Ute', a generic shipboard vehicle I use IMTU.

In addition to a modular payload area, the Ute has modular suspension units attached to the underside of the chassis. This enables the vehicle to be fitted with a choice of wheeled, half-track, air-cushion or grav suspensions, as desired by the customer or as dictated by local repair tech.

The modular suspension is facilitated by use of a fuel cell power plant, whose electrical output allows for significantly simpler transmission systems. Essentially, you can attach a separate 'suspension module' of any type at each of the four corners, plug them into the fly-by-wire transmission unit, and you're good to go. Separate suspension units are easily stored and replaced.

A competent mechanic can convert the vehicle from wheeled to grav in under an hour.

 

[sabredog]

Good idea! I'll have to see about working that in. I imagine it wouldn't change the PWR/W ratio too much. Or it might work better for the 410 model with its 4 MW power plant. Good for the worlds with less atmosphere or rough terrain.

What are the stats on your power cells? Just a straight across translation in weight and output? Are they one-use only, or rechargeable?

It might be a good conversion for the ones sent to the frontiers to provide a means of constant income for the company selling the truck as well as the Free Traders who regularly cruise the remote colonies. They could also be adapted to other uses like the fusion plants do that the colonists often strip from the trucks to use for things like heat and life support.

 

[Icosahedron]

Hmm, actually, I'm not sure whether this vehicle is one of those that I need to revise.

Back when I got Striker, I made house rules for Fuel Cells by interpolating them into the power plant tables. It was some time later that I got MT or FF&S (I forget which) and found 'official' design stats for fuel cells.

Trouble is, I can't remember whether the Ute design used my houseruled fuel cells or the official ones. (Many of my vehicle designs are extensively houseruled anyway, so they might not fit the OTU.)

Fuel cells burn Hydrogen fuel to create electricity, they're not batteries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell

I don't use fusion power plants for civilian vehicles, and only for heavy gear in the military. Most of my vehicles run fuel cells (so there's lots of them to retcon - one day).

That decision is based partially on safety, security and maintenance issues, and partly on my discomfort with Traveller's 'magical' use of water or liquid Hydrogen as fusion fuel. Realistically, you can extract Hydrogen from water with 'garden shed' apparatus, but creating a fusible fuel such as Deuterium or Tritium is a whole different ball game. You might have the necessary kit aboard a starship or at an army depot, but...

I'd suggest you just use the canon fuel cell designs to get the right performance for your vehicles.