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Vale Middle School Reading Article

Wind-powered Car Sets Records in a 3,100-mile Road Test

Notes on my thoughts,

the first wind-powered vehicle to cross a continent, the longest overall distance covered

reactions and questions as I

for a wind-powered vehicle on land, and the longest distance covered in 36 hours by a

read:

wind-powered vehicle, as well as several others in the same vein. The trip across

Australia also marks the first nearly emission-free trip across a continent in a vehicle.

Even horses, which some might consider green in a sense, emit more pollution from the

methane in their waste than the Wind Explorer.

The Wind Explorer uses an 8kWh lithium-ion battery, similar to what most electric cars

are packing; the difference is in the means of charging the battery. Although it has a

plug to charge the battery from the power grid, the real focus of the Wind Explorer is

the wind turbine. When the car is in need of a charge, the drivers hoist a 20-foot

collapsible mast, housed in a special compartment that runs between the driver and

passenger seat, and the turbine begins to charge the battery. Once fully charged, the

vehicle averaged close to 250 miles before needing to be recharged.

The exact length of time it took to recharge the battery using a wind turbine varies with

conditions, but from the grid, it typically recharges at a rate of 20-percent per hour at

maximum input.

Naturally, with any object that is reliant on the wind, there is the drawback that it may

come to a point when there is simply no breeze. Nature can be a cruel and fickle

mistress, so in order to conserve what power there was, the duo waited for the wind to

return, then used a massive kite to power the vehicle. On the open plains of the

Australian coast, with a wind blowing off the ocean, the Wind Explorer reached speeds

close to 50 miles an hour. There is, of course, probably another reason to use the kite to

power the car beyond simply saving energy. It looks like it would be kinda fun.

The vehicle itself was designed by Gion and Simmerer with the help of Evonik

Industries AG, who supplied the materials, including the lithium-ion battery. The Wind

Explorer is constructed of carbon fiber sandwich technology, which uses layers of foam

to strengthen the material while keeping weight down. It also makes use of low-friction

tires, and a specifically designed aerodynamic form. The vehicle is a two-seater with

rear wheel drive.

Although the vehicle has been tested and proven to work, don’t expect to see the Wind

Explorer in car lots for sale anytime soon. The model used to test the concept was an

early prototype that was hand made over the course of six months, and there is also the

fact that a 440-pound car would not fare all that well in accident safety tests. In fact, if a

driver were rear ended by another car, they might suffer a slight case of death as the

lightweight vehicle disintegrates. The test does, however, prove that the concept behind

an electric car powered by a wind turbine is feasible, which should lead to more testing

in the coming months and years.

Fleming, R. Wind-powered Car Sets Records in a 3,100-mile Road Test. Feb. 16, 2011.

Available at Feb.21,100

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