[Richard]

Richard asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Could a wind collection duct ( series of ducts ) be mounted on a car such that the wind's energy is used to drive a generator and make the vehicle self-powering or at least assist in powering the car by , say charging a battery like in the Toyota Prius? In this way the car would be a hybrid of sorts. Gas or electric would initially power the car but as the car moves the wind that passes over it would be captured by the wind collection duct, converted to electric energy via the the generator and fed back to the battery.

What do you think?

[lyner]

No.
It's a fundamental thing.
If it could be done we'd already have done it.
Google perpetual motion.

[Richard]

I changed the post to add clarity to the idea.

[Pumblechook]

Are you having a larf (laff)??

[wolfekeeper]

It could work if the wind is blowing.

A car with a windmill on top can (very counterintuitively) go faster than the wind downwind as well as going up wind and crossward.

If the wind is not blowing, then, no, not gonna work, you lose more energy than you gain by adding the windmill.

[lyner]

It could work if the wind is blowing.

A car with a windmill on top can (very counterintuitively) go faster than the wind downwind as well as going up wind and crossward.

If the wind is not blowing, then, no, not gonna work, you lose more energy than you gain by adding the windmill.

A land yacht could do better still - fewer energy conversions involved. But you  might have trouble tacking along the road.

[Karsten]

And just for the record, the land speed sailing record is held by Vermonters! Yeah baby, the Green Mountain State.  [8D]

http://www.harborwatch.com/news/images/ironduck/iron_duck_photos.htm
http://www.nalsa.org/speed_record.htm

[wolfekeeper]

It could work if the wind is blowing.

A car with a windmill on top can (very counterintuitively) go faster than the wind downwind as well as going up wind and crossward.

If the wind is not blowing, then, no, not gonna work, you lose more energy than you gain by adding the windmill.

A land yacht could do better still - fewer energy conversions involved. But you  might have trouble tacking along the road.

I think the turbine version goes much faster directly downwind, but a land yacht may well be able to go even faster crosswind.

[lyner]

Yes, indeed!

[Ethos]

Richard asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Could a turbine connected to a generator and mounted on a car be used to make the vehicle self-powering? In this way the car would be a hybrid of sorts. Gas or electric would initially power the car but as the car moves the wind that passes over it would be captured by the turbine, converted to electric energy and fed back to the battery.

Any or most gains from this would be lost because the added air resistance would equal a less stream lined vehicle..........Ethos

[John Chapman]

What’s needed here are double-drive turbo sprocket rear axle booster thrusters. You know, to sort out the Forward Leaning Equilibrium Effect. Fit them radially for maximum effect.

[lyner]

Are you "in advertising", by any chance, John Chapman? Very impressive. Where can I buy one?

[John Chapman]

Just as soon as I've invented one - whatever it is!

But it still made more sense to me than a perpetual motion car with a windmill on it's roof.  []

[lyner]

A nightmare trying to get into carparks!

[wolfekeeper]

And just for the record, the land speed sailing record is held by Vermonters! Yeah baby, the Green Mountain State.  [8D]

Was the record holder... Ecotricity's Greenbird from the UK on the 26th added 13 mph to set the  126.1 mph world record! [8D]