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By rrob2037
#14466
I am not a scientist or even an inventor but I was thinking, wouldn't it be great if we could harness the wind that a vehicle creates to power it?

A completely renewable power source for motorized travel that doesn't cost a penny and would never run out. Of course the vehicle would need some kind of power source to start moving but if I am correct the power source could be recharged by the wind after the vehicle picked up speed. I believe the technology would be something similar to the wind turbines that currently capture wind energy used to supplement power consumption.

Reward: If a vehicle like this was every created, I would love to be one of the first owners, free of charge of course. Do you know how much money I would save in Gas?
By ells_50124
#14516
I think the original poster ment a car that has several rods with small fans that run across the hood. Wind generated by the movement of the car spins the rods creating an electrical current. At least that was what I thought they ment. Great Idea, although might be hard to keep clean.
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By Michael D. Grissom
#14522
rrob2037.. I perceive by what you wrote and how you wrote it that you either spent a lot of time writing it or you're a gifted writer. As for the subject matter, you are pursuing a form of perpetual or regenerative motion which, as far as I know, hasn't been efficiently enough achieved yet to be a gain. What you suggest is similar to using a motor to turn a generator to power that same motor so that no external power is ever needed other than initial start-up power. A generator, a fan, a sail, all take a lot more power to 'work' than the power they can create for that work. I believe room temperature superconductivity and some other things on the horizon will change this. Time will tell. Keep writing!
By amhenn
#14651
As a mechanical engineer, I can tell you that the previous post is correct. If you think about the law that energy can not be created nor destroyed only transferred then it becomes easy. In order for the fan or sail to produce energy, there has to be moving air, in order for there to be moving air, there has to be moving car, in order for the car to move there has to be gasoline and so on. So in reality the gasoline is turning the fan to produce energy. In a perfect world with not heat loss in energy transfer this would work (perpetual motion), but since there are losses in all energy transfer it is impossible. The gas mileage of a car would decrease if enough fans were added to produce a significant amount of power.
By Ernest59
#14653
I have spent the last two years drawing the print for an idea similar to your and I know as you do that it can be done but it all come done to money. not body wants to do any trial at least you put well more than 100 k into action never the least I will keep goin until i develop this great idea.
By Gavin.Philips
#14660
Yes, I would think that the addition of fans/turbines would create more drag, which would probably negate any benefits from their spinning. Physics fights against us!

But it's always worth investigating further. We have found ways to twist physics before.

Some examples of the application of turbines to improve efficiency in an engine are turbochargers and superchargers. Both use turbines to drive air into the engine and give it more power (especially in areas of lower pressure, i.e, at higher elevations). Superchargers are similar to what you describe, and are driven by air that is pushed into a hood scoop by the movement of the car. Turbochargers actually use another turbine, which is driven by the exhaust as it leaves the engine.

Go explore superchargers and turbochargers (with the magic of google and wikipedia), and you will have a head start!
By Raikiri
#19404
As two above me have previously stated, this idea can not work if you plan to keep the laws of physics. Any energy you generate with the turbines will be wasted on fuel to run the car since the turbines will be creating a drag effect on the car.
By bogdan.vartic
#19544
Hi guys.
I had the same ideea and in my reaserch I found your topic.
I was just wondering .. if the car had electric engine couldn't then be more sustainable? Because .. an electric engine you can charge in a plug, you can charge it with some kind of other energy like solar panels or whatever..
The real deal would be if we could find a solution to charge the batteries using the air dispatched by the moving car. Then the electric motor will provide more autonomy and b y that we can increase the autonomy of the car.
Unfortunatelly, I don't have the knowledge to sustain my ideas, but I look at projects like Brake Energy Regeneration (BMW start using this system in the standard in summer 2008 on 42 models) and Project Better Place and I want to belive that we can find a link between all this information.

Greetings from Romania,
Bogdan
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By swimmer
#19574
" Nothing is created all is transformed " is a law bounding the engineering mind. We shall free our selves from that ... we might reach an engineering Nirvana ! :p
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