By: Tristan Hankins
When it comes to crazy-cool engineering, nobody can top ze Germans. If it’s even vaguely plausible, you can bet that some German crackpot inventor has done it. Well, now two Germans – Stefan Simmerer and Dirk Gion – have broken three Guinness World Records in a ... wait for it ... wind turbine powered electric car!
That’s right, an EV that’s powered by a wind turbine, those big robotic looking windmills you may have seen in farms atop hilltops in Scotland or Pennsylvania. And here’s how it works:
At night, Simmerer and Gion park the Wind Explorer – that’s what it’s called – and erect a nifty looking collapsible wind turbine. While they sleep, the lightweight turbine generates enough energy to recharger the Wind Explorer’s batteries. If they’re running low on energy during the day, they can whip out a kite that helps powered the vehicle forward.
Simmerer, Gion and the Wind Explorer have recently completed a 4,800 kilometer (2,983 mile), 18 day trek across Australia where they either broke or established three Guinness World Records: the first to cross the Great Southern Land in a wind powered car, the longest distance travelled in a 36 hour period and the most distance travelled overall in a wind powered car.
You can check out a sweet video of the Wind Explorer’s journey below.
Thanks for the feel good article Keni. It may not be a practical way to get around; but they are having clean fun.
ReplyDeletePosted by Jessee
We have a better design. I have someone I know that has made the turbines part of the car. It looks like something from the future and has been displayed on a popular TV show The Dragons Den. It charges as it is driven and only needs charged after a trip or two.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kevin
We can see just car, where is turbine? If I would design such car, I would make it so that motor would turn to be generator when going downhil and fill that battery back, so they would ned that much less refiling. There could be also some system with pedals for turning small generator even while traveling, and that way they would be less dependent on available wind. Car also seems to be small, so where they have kept water and food for journey, dry rations, perhaps? Likewise there seems to be no windshield nor roof, what would they do if sandstorm catch them? If I remember corectly, they did not had even helmets.....
ReplyDeletePosted by Marijan
Skratch that last, they had something on the head but that was not covering faces....
ReplyDeleteLast of all there is two pipes protruding on backside, like it is gasoline powered car, perhaps it was hybrid after all?
Posted by Marijan
Could be issues if they ran low on power during the day and they didn't catch it early enough for the kite to take advantage of the car's motion and get up there. Still interesting that they have made an obviously practically working model.
ReplyDeletePosted by Tara
Cool! I want one. Though it would be cool if they can charge the car as they drive. Maybe they can have multiple small turbines to charge it while they're speeding in the streets?
ReplyDeleteTheir "kite" system wont work if you're city driving. There's rarely a strong wind that can help propel the car.
Posted by Keisha.Nicole
The one I am talking about will charge the car while driving and it is already being introduced in Japan.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kevin
A vehicle that charges-as-you-go is a very attractive owner friendly sort of vehicle we would all like to use for the future burning less harmful emissions that some seen today.
ReplyDeleteMuch research has been invested into greener transport so any further information on this vehicle would all be welcomed by readers including any pictures!!!!
Posted by Lee
Japan has just released one with turbines on the front grill. His design is not going to be on the market yet so pictures cannot be released. I will point you in the right direction though. If you look at the propulsion sytem of a submarine you will get an idea of the turbine system he has installed on either side of the car.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kevin
what exactly happens when the car runs out of energy during the travel? There is a "qite something" explanation but that does not enlighten us on what really happens. Could you elaborate on that?
ReplyDeletePosted by Zeyni
What amazing is here?
ReplyDeleteAn usual EV carying an usual folded wind generator - they rise it every (probably choose windy places) night, charge batteries and run all the next day.
Posted by Alexander