I wasn't aware that the alternator was not sufficient for the task of charging the car's battery. . .

And, oh yeah, this is about the tenth time this has been suggested here. Other participants far more intelligent than myself have already explained why this won't gain anything.

The drag of the impellers would exceed their power production at speed. Parking-lot deployable wind turbines are a better idea.

http://www.whynot.net/ideas/720

http://www.whynot.net/ideas/4100

this video seems to exemplifies this faulty idea.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7946363986129135783&q=wind+generating+car&total=70&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT ALTERNATORS HERE - THE BASIC IDEA HERE IS DESIGNA IMPELLER WHICH HAS THE MINIMUM DRAG - THE BIG QUESTION IS CAN WEDESIGN A LOW DRAG IMPELLER - IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE - WHAT WILL THE EFFICIENCYOF SUCH A IMPELLER? - HARD TO PREDICT - WE JUST CANNOT JUST JUMP INTOCONCLUSIONS WITHOUT TRYING IT OUT.

How do you plan keeping the thing from exploding at higher speeds?

I think it's a hoot that the video shows an aerodynamic car with decidedly unaerodynamic fans attached to it. The noise from the fans must be unreal.

Yeah, baby! This is a "cool" car. That's what I want to tool around in!

EVERY IDEA LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE AND IMPROBABLE TILL THE FIRST WORKING MODEL COMESOUT. IT WAS THE SAME CASE WITH THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

Every idea may look impossible, but engineering and mathematics give us the level-playing field to test the ideas even before they are made.

It should be easy to do math to quantify how much impeller-area can generate so-many watts and such-and-such a speed--once you've selected your impellers and generator or alternator. Then you do the math to find out how many watts a car with a frontal area (including the impellers) and Cd would require to go that fast.

But in-fact we know that it would be impossible for it to generate more than it uses from the laws of thermodynamics and recognition that some energy is lost to inefficiencies-drag and friction.

But we don't actually need to do the calculations, because the guy with the video Has built the car. I think if it worked, he'd be on the news by now.

For the same reason I don't use a flashlight to power a solar cell to charge my flashlight batteries: it won't work.

But nothing is preventing you from buying a solar cell and some rechargeable batteries to power the flashlight to power the solar cell; if you can get that to work, you may wish to graduate to building a car-mounted impeller to charge car batteries. I know it won't work, but I'll be the first to defend your right to try to make it work.

Don't bother asking me for development funds, I'm working on my own "cold fusion" reactor, and after I get that to work I'm going to tackle "zero-point" energy...

A series of small "micro" fans mounted perhaps behind a grill on the front of a car might minimize the aerodynamic drag. The energy produced could be enough to at least make a hybrid more efficient, or extend the range of a plug in electric. It has been demonstrated in small wind turbines for rural areas that a series of small fans turning a single shaft cam operate more efficiently with less wind that a single large one.

Obviously this is not a perpetual motion machine and I do not believe they expressed it to be. This model may be preposterous but the fact is that small impellar fan's built into the design of a car could possibly increase the range of a plug in electric vehicle. This is the biggest detriment to that of producing EV's. If we dismiss this idea because the video shows a ridiculous model then we might as well not have this site at all. With ideas researched and implemented like these there is no reason EVs should not be on the market today.

A Solar Panel on top of EV, a Wind Turbine will go a long way inaugmenting the charging source. A few extra miles on a EV is a bonus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkcn8ZkvKKc this is your car idea 8 altinators 6 fans 2 belt drive from rear wheels,good try looks dangerous!!

Isn't it easier to walk uphill with the wind to your back?Then rather than adding a propeller for drag, a sail for powermight harness wind power differently - sort of taking advantageof the wind direction by an intelligent car-foil that increasesor reduces the coefficient of friction to take advantage of a friendly wind.

Sweatheart - We are talking about a aero-dynamic car wind turbineand not a draggy turbine which will stall the car, nor about a wind sail.

I have also thought of this on long drives, especially when you see all the dc products offered to the trucking community. I have also noticed the trucks running for hours when the drivers turn in. How could you charge house batteries with the least mechanical and aerodynamic drag? How about a spinner hubcap generator? I am not an engineer, but if the unit was light enough not add to much to unsprung wheel weight and might actually aid in aero drag, possibly use both wind and momentum for rotation. When the trucker slams the brakes at the next fuel pump, he could be heating his burger for the next five minutes.

You need to study engineering. That is not free energy, just energy stolen from the drive-train; energy that has be created by burning more fuel, or not going as fast.

You also need to study trucking. It is very hard to stop, and stopping a rig safely is more important than saving a little bit of energy.

We are not talking about a wind turbine which will stall the speedof the car/truck . Mind you it is not a sail, we are just talkingabout a aero-dynamic turbine(You will know what it is if you are student of enginnering) which will bring down the drag to thebare-minimum. Even if this wind turbine conserves 10-20% of theenegy expended it is a worth while effort. We just don't want aperpetual energy generating device.

I have been reading several of these concepts and comments. I think everyone is getting the wrong first impression. I don't think anyone is proposing that the wind turbine will power or replace the primary drive source. I think they are assuming this device would be mounted on a gas/electric hybrid car that would be using gas while at highway speeds. The small air intake (min. drag) would jam air into a small turbine and spin a generator that would "trickle" charge the batteries to be used lated at slower speeds. I.E. leave home - drive 15 miles on battery, hit the highway, drive 60 miles on gas - recharge batteries, then back home where the last 5 miles could be on battery again. Thus, capturing the wind energy while on the gas fuel source. No - it's not mathmatically effecient, but it would work and reduce the gas engine use somewhat.

The idea is that power generated will supplement the existingstorage system. This additional power may not be sufficent move the carbut will be able to power a few devices in the car.

Depends on how you look at this issue, if I may suggest!!! this can be used on a concept of an automobile caddy on rail but we're talking long haul or distance like a supper highway and certain exits design as a terminal for your car to dismount. This caddy can also be powered by harnessing from the rotation of your wheels of course by a design attachment. This propeller that is powered by wind can also be designed on a vertical wheel fan (like a water wheel).

The basic idea is to have wind turbine having the least drag,which generates sufficient power to charge the batteries of a electric car on the move. If this concept was implemented on near the sea shore or places which have strongwinds blowing, it will generate power even, when the car isstationary.

Why does one need to charge a car battery while it's parked? I could understand if the automobile is to be parked with out use for over 3 weeks (draw off the main battery) - but a solar cell embedded somehwre would be sufficient for the charge (no moving parts)

THIS IDEA IS LUDICROUS. WHY...

1) Its fundamentally unsafe and impractical with todays infrastructure2) One needs a windy environment for a significant power gain3) Newtons third law states that forces are equal and opposite! think about it. on a calm day, the amount of energy created my the fan is proportional to the speed required, however simultaneously this is proportional to the drag created by that same fan!And theres much more... hit me up if u want me to prove you wrong...