Can a Wind Turbine Power Cars for Extended Travel?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the feasibility of using a wind turbine as a supplemental energy source for cars, particularly in extending travel distances. Participants explore theoretical and practical implications of integrating wind energy into automotive design.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why a wind turbine could not be used to extend travel, suggesting it might serve as a supplemental energy source.
  • Another participant argues that attaching a wind turbine to a car would be ineffective because the energy required to operate the turbine would come from the car's engine, negating any potential benefits.
  • A different viewpoint states that the car's engine itself generates wind, implying that the vehicle remains dependent on fuel regardless of the turbine's presence.
  • One participant notes that wind generated by the car's movement would not be sufficient for effective turbine operation, especially given the negligible wind at typical driving altitudes.
  • Concerns are raised about the size, efficiency, and cost of a turbine that would be necessary to make this concept viable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the practicality and effectiveness of using wind turbines in cars, with no consensus reached on the viability of the idea.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations related to energy transfer efficiency, the need for work to operate turbines, and the environmental conditions affecting turbine performance.

RandyJ
I have read some of the responses to the question of why a wind turbine would not be a useful source of energy for a car. Why could it not be used as a supplemental source to extend travel?
 
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You mean like, a wind turbine attached TO the car? So that it generates electricity or angular momentum or something to then power the car?

It won't work because said devices require work to operate. That work has to come from somewhere, and while the vehicle is moving it's coming from the engine of the vehicle, effectively making the whole idea pointless. Not only that, but every time you transfer energy into another form (wind to electrical in this case) you lose some of that energy to heat.

If it was only deployed when the car was stationary, it would take work to deploy it, since you don't want it running while you are moving due to the above reasons. Plus, the wind at the altitude of typical car travel is negligible, and the size and efficiency of the turbine required to make any small use of this idea would be enormous and costly.
 
Simple: The car's engine creates the wind, so either way it is powered by gas.
 
Wind powered cars:
4515450.jpg
 
I don't do much of my driving on the salt flats, so for me, the wind would be generated by my car's engine...
 

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