My idea was to have tiny wind turbines along the sides of the car, which would be normally be enclosed, but would be revealed periodically to turn in the wind generated due to the cars’ movement and would hence charge the (spare) battery. People said that it would cause too much resistance, and so would not be successful. But I still think it is possible to overcome that with clever engineering. So, I am very happy to find this website and learn about this car! Shows me that my idea was not completely useless…

From now on I will build things myself and stop listening to hype, greed, and lies.

The car starts up using energy from the battery. Once it gets moving, the battery will be gradually recharged via the turbine movement. In other words, it’s an electric car, boosting the battery capacity using the turbines.

The only trouble I see is… what happens if you drive in the same direction as the wind, and at the same speed? Would this not mean you wouldn’t get any charge of the battery (thus, reducing the range of the car)?

Oh, and one more thing: The price is NOT in DOLLARS, it’s POUNDS. I assume this to be British pounds sterling – meaning a lot more than $100K – more like £144K at today’s exchange rates!

This price is not unreasonably high for a newly developed car like this. Like all other products, the price is sky high while on the conceptual stage, and once a means of mass production is initiated, the price will undoubtedly go down. Way down. A reasonable price for a vehicle using this form of energy would probably be around $30K (putting us in Denmark at $84K because of the 180% registration tax on new vehicles).

Oh yeah, and: I’m from Denmark. The gas prices here currently vary from around $6 to $10 per gallon. People drive everywhere here, and people do get accustomed to the high prices. Last year, the price rocketed to around $13/gallon, and for a short while people drove less. But only for a short while.

People also drive fast here, more than half go over the speed limit. It’s sort of the norm here, basically.

So the knowledge and technical expertise is out there waiting to be implemented. Like anything else made we iron out the problems as we go along. I have stated in the past that if US automakers don’t get their act together and do what’s right for this country the Japanese will. They are already doing it. Theories and arguments are no longer valid issues. We need progress.

Profits have always gotten in the way of progress. Now we have to let high profits take a back seat to progress and conversion. The companies need profits for operating but these have to be secondary. The main focus must be on the product. Profits will follow.

Unfortunately many people will not take conservative measures. We may need programs developed that will maintain an awareness that we are not out of the woods yet. Mass transportation and fuel conservation are still necessary ideas.

First is the premise that it can attain 155 mph. This means that the motor is oversized for normal freeway speeds and reasonable acceleration. The average Joe is paying for more than he’ll use, plus the extra weight of this size motor that’s always being carried around. This is clearly for bragging rights.

Second is the claim of time to recharge. Charge stations on 120v take 5-6 hours, 240V take 2-3 hours, at a substantial current. No battery technology will change this time. It depends on the source power, and no PV module produces this kind of power, either.

Last is reclaiming power through a turbine driven by air intakes. It takes an exponential amount of power to overcome the added drag, where the turbine generator doesn’t change its efficiency, which result in a net loss of power, exponential with increased speed (CAV^3). You can’t change the laws of physics.

Lose the turbine, air intakes, electronics. Save yourself weight, drag, complexity and expense. Get realistic about solar recharge capabilities. Right-size the motor.

The vehicles from automakers are not up to standards for conservation or alternative energy nor are they affordable. The credit market is tight so no one will be buying big ticket items, like a $100,000 car. Ponzi schemes, bank closings, gas prices and foreclosures have financially devastated many Americans. Don’t expect to see too much financial activity for a while.

The Tesla car could not be done as well. And the Air Compressor car could not be done. The running a motor without a radiator and using steam to power the engine along with fuel could not be done. The idea of running a car on hydrogen could not be done. The idea of a battery that is lighter and runs without pollution could not be done.

All of those ideas work today.

I think even if it is expensive, it will teach us more about the limits of our hybrid technology. $100,000 is a cheap price tag.

I totally agree with the earlier comment … it is these ideas that will free us from the tyranny of despot governments that we send billions of dollars to monthly (19.5 billion in December alone). It is time to stop funding terrorists and start building renewable energy solutions. We need to start paying ourselves back for our own renewable resources. It removes us from the global dependency we’ve grown to accept from the consequences of imported oil.

Give our own American inventors the money we ship overseas and begin to support those inventions as a way of life — renewable energy has to become our intention or people in power will continue to funnel the money their way.

This could power lights and other electronic loads while driving and thus save the tiny extra amount of gasoline or battery power currently required to run them.

But it cannot provide the very energy it depends on to work. That would be like running with a pinwheel on a windless day and claiming that in fact it was the wind you created that provided the energy for your running.

It is one of many things that should be tried. Don’t be so closed minded!