Chinese farmer invents 'wind-powered' car

[Tallpine]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/16/chinese-farmer-invents-wind-powered-car/?intcmp=features

When the car reaches 40mph (64kph), the blades spring into action and begin generating pollution-free power.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/16/chinese-farmer-invents-wind-powered-car/?intcmp=features#ixzz1v4ZWWZXp

Right, and I have a design for perpetual motion that I will sell you ... 

Wouldn't it be simpler just to belt a generator to one of the wheels, to feed power to the electric motor that is driving another wheel   

[drewtam]

In other news, new study finds that professional reporters rarely take science classes in college.

[Hawkmoon]

In other news, new study finds that professional reporters rarely take science classes in college.

But where are the results of the study to study that study?

[Monkeyleg]

I think wind-powered vehicles have been done before:

[geronimotwo]

looks like it has folded up wings.....hey......isn't that chitti chitti bang bang?

[RoadKingLarry]

In other news, new study finds that professional reporters rarely have the capacity to understand or pass take science classes in college.

FTFY

[zahc]

Google DDWFTTW

[MechAg94]

So it is an electric go-cart with a fan on the front?  That fan doesn't even look like it is tied to anything. 

So add something like 2000 lbs for US crash and safety standards?

[vaskidmark]

Chinese Farmer Fights Smog With Fan Power

It's an electric vehicle.  I thought one of the selling points was that they do not emit emissions that cause smog.  Or is the fan supposed to create wind currents to blow the smog somewhere else?

Gad!  This logic stuff makes my head hurt.

stay safe.

[makattak]

Physicists and engineers, please check my logic on this, but isn't it possible that his fan could make his car more efficient?


I realize that the fan at the front of the car simply causes more wind resistance, making the battery have to work more to "charge itself" at a cost of more power lost than gained, if the car was perfectly aerodynamic before adding the fan.

Looking at the car, I don't think sleek aerodynamics. Is is not possible that the added resistance of the fan to an already non-aerodynamic car added less resistance than the power that was gained from turning the fan?

Obviously, the better solution is to make a more aerodynamic car, but couldn't this have "worked"?

[bedlamite]

Physicists and engineers, please check my logic on this, but isn't it possible that his fan could make his car more efficient?


I realize that the fan at the front of the car simply causes more wind resistance, making the battery have to work more to "charge itself" at a cost of more power lost than gained, if the car was perfectly aerodynamic before adding the fan.

Looking at the car, I don't think sleek aerodynamics. Is is not possible that the added resistance of the fan to an already non-aerodynamic car added less resistance than the power that was gained from turning the fan?

Obviously, the better solution is to make a more aerodynamic car, but couldn't this have "worked"?

No it's not making it more efficient. The energy to spin has to come from somewhere. It's coming from the car pushing the fan through the air. He'd be better off without it.

Lets visit the laws of thermodynamics, in laymans terms:
Forget about getting something for nothing, you can't even break even.
Every change sets you back; The harder you try the worse off you are.

The tail fins are a nice touch, even though they flap like the Batmobile did in one of the movies. I applaud the effort, but he really needs to follow the KISS rule.

[makattak]

No it's not making it more efficient. The energy to spin has to come from somewhere. It's coming from the car pushing the fan through the air. He'd be better off without it.

Lets visit the laws of thermodynamics, in laymans terms:
Forget about getting something for nothing, you can't even break even.
Every change sets you back; The harder you try the worse off you are.

The tail fins are a nice touch, even though they flap like the Batmobile did in one of the movies. I applaud the effort, but he really needs to follow the KISS rule.

I completely agree, which was the point of my post.

Not that he gets "free energy" but if his non-aerodynamic car didn't get any more non-aerodynamic by the addition of the fan, he would have improved his car. He could have improved it more by making it more aerodynamic, but isn't it possible he actually did see an improvement by adding the fan in that he harnessed some of the previously lost energy from the lack of aerodynamics (which would be better regained by improving the aerodynamics)?

[HankB]

The only way a generating fan would improve the car would be if it continued to rotate in the wind & charge the batteries when the car was parked.

Even if the car starts off headed into the wind - where at a dead stop, there COULD be a trickle of power going to the battery - the energy consumed by the additional resistance of the fan to the car's forward motion will almost immediately exceed the energy it supplies.

* You can't get something for nothing.
* You can't break even.
* You can't leave the game.

On the other hand, the Obama administration is probably considering a $500,000,000 grant to make this green energy alternative available to Americans . . .

[Tallpine]

Physicists and engineers, please check my logic on this, but isn't it possible that his fan could make his car more efficient?


I realize that the fan at the front of the car simply causes more wind resistance, making the battery have to work more to "charge itself" at a cost of more power lost than gained, if the car was perfectly aerodynamic before adding the fan.

Looking at the car, I don't think sleek aerodynamics. Is is not possible that the added resistance of the fan to an already non-aerodynamic car added less resistance than the power that was gained from turning the fan?

Obviously, the better solution is to make a more aerodynamic car, but couldn't this have "worked"?

Actually, it would come closer to working if the fan/windmill was geared directly to the wheels - assuming that there was some ambient wind blowing.  The generator to battery to motor to motion conversions lose efficiency at every step.

A few years back, I saw a "sailboat" with a windmill geared to a prop.  It actually worked, and was more efficient "sailing" directly to windward.

[Scout26]

* You can't get something for nothing.
* You can't break even.
* You can't leave the game.

That's what I remember my High Screwl Physics teacher telling us.....

[Nick1911]

Google DDWFTTW

This, actually.

Common sense and a passing knowledge of physics would indicate that a wind powered car can't go faster downwind the the windspeed.  Which is actually wrong.  A land yacht most certainly can sail downwind at a speed faster than the wind.