The world has been waiting patiently for a solution to the perpetual motion machine problem. Leave it to the Chinese to solve it. Now, where the hell is my flying car Popular Science has been promising me for 50 years? I want mine to be electric. /sarc
From SkyNews –
Wind-Powered Car ‘Could Cut China’s Smog’
Holly Williams, China correspondent
A Chinese farmer has invented a wind-powered electric car that he says could save his country from the pollution caused by its rapidly growing car market.
…
But in a small tractor workshop, 55-year-old farmer Tang Zhenping has invented the prototype of a car that he believes could revolutionise China’s auto industry.
Mr Tang’s model – built in just three months for around £1,000 – is electric.
Its engine uses scrap parts from a motorcycle and electric scooter, while its steering wheel, upholstery and headlights all come from a Chinese-made Xiali hatchback.
But what makes the one-seater special is the turbine on its nose.
When the car reaches 40mph, the blades spring into action and begin generating pollution-free power.
“It works just like a windmill,” said Mr Tang, who claims the turbine gives his vehicle three times the battery life of other electric cars.
Full story here
h/t to Bishop Hill
UPDATE: This comment on the Facebook page was too funny not to share.
Rik Magers commented on wattsupwiththat’s post.
Rik wrote: “Not only does it defy the laws of physics by powering itself, but he picked up a chick in it! Hope this is the prototype for the new Chevy Volt.”
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The Mark II model the guy is working on now uses the turbine fan as a motor to bring the car up to 40mph, it then switches over to generation mode which powers the motors at the wheels. It’s a model of ingenuity and efficiency.
I can’t wait to see how many millions of US taxpayer dollars Obama will throw at the development of this.
I’m not seeing the problem. Its essentially just a hybrid electric car that can use otherwise wasted kinetic energy to supply some of the electricity, which extends the distance you can go on a single battery charge.
One would think there would be better ways, but given the conditions hinted in the article, maybe not.
REPLY: The problem of energy loss was solved long ago with regenerative braking, standard on most modern electric vehicles – Anthony
You don’t “recover” energy from drag by increasing it. The recovery system will yield less than the added loss.
The future lies in harnessing the power of bafflegab and nonsense. They are in endless supply.
If the fan is engaged and used to help slow the car and also run going downhill, he could extend battery life a bit.
Here’s what you do: Mount the fan so it blows air onto a sail mounted out front. Viola! Wind-powered car!
To boost power, the wheels could wind the rubber band and the rubber band drives the engine.
You have all missed the secret source of energy. The blades are made of CO2 and absorb infra red. This is channeled to the back of the car where it reradiates thus helping to drive the car forward.
“The problem of energy loss was solved long ago with regenerative braking, stand on most modern electric vehicles – Anthony”
And if you don’t have modern electric vehicles? And how many modern electric vehicles can be built for £1,000?
In the old day, he’s what we’d refer to as a real “hacker”. Someone who takes what he has on hand and makes something better. It doesn’t mean you’re not doing something that hasn’t been done before, it means you’re turning “junk” into something better. Given the resources he had at hand, how many people reading the story could do what he did? I sometimes think we take too much for granted in this country.
I agree this isn’t going to do much of anything to cut smog (the article was over the top). It wouldn’t win any design awards in this country. And I don’t see this design going into large-scale production. But I admire his spirit. We have modern electric vehicles (and a whole lot of other things) because of people like him. And its someone like him who knows we still haven’t solved the problem of energy loss, just reduced it some.
There seems to be surprised that Sky ran this, querying the knowledge of the reporter!
Most reporters have social science degrees etc, they are non technical.
Looking at the output of BBC news as an example, it appears they are technically ‘totally light’.
It would have been far simpler to fit a charge controller that would work than a fan that doesn’t.
He can further improve performance by putting big tires on the back and small tires on the front so it’s always going downhill!
The windmill has to be on top of the car, not in front of it, and be highly efficient.
The windspeed has to be at least 20mph to have enough power density for a car, which has to have very low aero drag and wheel friction.
An easy way to demonstrate that this is not a perpetual motion machine is to put a propellor on a rod that is threaded oppositely to the propellor pitch. The propellor will spin up the rod, into the wind, since its lift is far more than its drag.
I still see a small electro car, but it’s hybridized with a wind turbine. I could be compared with a normal hybridized car. It costs an amount of energy from the batteries due to aerodynamic resistance, but it might reach for a longer trip, however.
This invention would make sense for a farmer if he leaves it outside on the farm and there often are winds of greater than 40 MPH. Then it could charge the battery for the occasional trip. But if the winds were often over 40 MPH, he could just put a sail on the car.
This car could be an earner in the green electricity market.
You charge the car using ‘evil’ electricity at 10p per kWh then after a day’s driving the remaining charge will be super-green wind produced electricity which you can sell back at 40p per kWh.
Nice!
Crono141 says:
May 16, 2012 at 10:21 am
But the drag is already there. Mounted in-line it would produce just as much drag as a flat face to the wind. Its not going to propel the car forever, but it is recovering some lost energy, much like regenerative braking.
———————————————–
Guy, it takes horsepower to create electricty(period)
Mount your car’s alternator on your hood. Lose the drive belt and attach a prop or ‘turbine’ large enough to actually rotate your alternator sufficiently to produce any usuable electrical current. Then tell us if your car encounters any additional drag.
By using Western “laws of physics” to criticise the Chinese wind-powered car, many WUWT posters show a deep-seated culturally insensitivity. The new Chinese wind-powered car will run on Qi (c’hi), the positive (or negative) life force found in “feng shui”. The Chinese have 3500 years of experience with Qi, so I do not think your readers should dismiss this innovation lightly!
Gees, what a genius idea. . . . .
I think it should immediately be incorporated in the California High Speed Rail project. If the house fan bolted to the front of the go-cart works so good at 40 mph, just think how great an eight bladed super deluxe turbo train blade bolted to the front of the High Speed Choo Choo would work!! Wow — you could go from Compton to Stockton without using hardly any energy at all!!
/sarc off, for those who might not recognize it. . . . .
I could not help but wonder whether Ms. Williams would be equally gullible if invited to a gentleman’s bedroom to “view his etchings”. Inquiring minds want to know.
FYI; A Car alternator uses about 1 HP to produce 300 watts of power. The car in the picture looks like it only puts out about 5 HP to begin with.
As I was reading this I suddenly had the brainwave that pedal cars for adults would be more reliable than wind ones and suitable for short distances. However after a quick search of the web I see that they are already big business.
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/pedal-cars-for-adults.html
tonyb
If we are looking at commuter cars that work and people might want to drive, have Renault made a good stab at it with the Twizy Electric vehicle?
http://www.which.co.uk/cars/choosing-a-car/latest-first-drives/renault-twizy/
Costs about £6500 plus £45 a month to rent the battery. Looks fun. No heater and doors are extra but IF electric vehicles are going to be mainstream and not a dead end perhaps this might evolve into something useful.
tonyb
well… the turbulence would technically reduce wind drag some… vis. Mythbuster’s golf-ball-dimple car.
The secret is in the detail:
“When the car reaches 40mph, the blades spring into action and begin generating pollution-free power.”
Probably it can only reach 40 on the down hill. Now if only they don’t run out of downhills. Watch for a big hill construction plan in China. When not in use, the car can be parked on the top of any hill that has 40 mph winds.
First they came for the birdies in the air, and I did nothing.
Now, they’re coming for the rest of us!
Via Great Wall vine – Gore, Hansen, Jones are eagerly awaiting, with taxpayer funds, the IPO of T-Z-ping Air Farm Autos.