Bob writes – “I recently bought issue 5 of Make Magazine, and inside are articles on the electrical powered car for $7000 and a some pages later on building your own windmill to power your home. Well, would it be possible to build a car that combines the two powers? You would use the electric power in the city, and on the highway you would use the windmill /fan inside a wind tunnel on top of your car. When the car gets up to a certain speed, you engage the the wind turbine to power the car, in effect setting it on cruise control. Would the 2 sources supply each other? The wind tunnel powering the motor, the motor making the car go so the fan can catch the wind?”
Of course the net gain wouldn’t be significant for this to work out, but it would be fun to do some math on the potential output of regenerative braking and regenerative turbines for slowing down…what do you Makers think? Post up in the comments.
Pictured here – John Wayland’s battery powered “Blue Meanie” 1972 Datsun.
Related:
Electric Avenue by Charles Platt. The street-legal electric car of the future is coming–not from Japan or Detroit–but from your neighbor’s garage. MAKE 05 – Page 60.
Wind Powered Generator by Abe and Josie Connally. With a motor and some piping, it’s suprisingly easy to build this inexpensive, efficient windmill generator–and enjoy free energy forever. MAKE 05 – Page 90.
How air cars will work – Link.
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