Comments on: TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: The Kite Powered Car

By: angusjcampbell

angusjcampbell — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:09:51 +0000

This is essentially a kite buggy, invented 20 years ago by Peter Lynn. Similar designs are available from many brands and are in use all over the world.

By: larias

larias — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:38:19 +0000

So where’s the innovation here? this is called ‘landyachting” and it’s been around for decades.
( http://www.flickr.com/photos/frakassor/489762792/ )
instead of a kite, it uses a windsurfing sail which I personally think is a better option. Imagine getting that kite tangled on powerlines, traffic lights, etc.

By: pburgess

pburgess — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:03:09 +0000

cmonaco: same reason you can’t stick a fan in front of a wind generator, run a connection between them and expect the pair to run in perpetuity; thermodynamic principles prevent any such physical system from running at perfect efficiency. In the case of turbines on a car, it’s aerodynamically inefficient: the energy collected would amount to far less than the additional energy required to push said grill through the air. Hence the teardrop shape of solar race cars and the like…better to cut through the air as efficiently as possible, because recapturing anything from turbulence would just be a losing proposition.

By: cmonaco

cmonaco — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:04:42 +0000

Does anyone know why car designers do not include a front grill full of wind turbines that would spin while driving to recarge an electric car?

By: Tdebin

Tdebin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:55:18 +0000

These look so darn cool. Would love to just design those for a living!