Why not we use solar and wind power in automobiles?

Question

In an automobile can we use a windmill like thing on top surface and attach it to the wheels with gears mechanically ?

Answer 1

Using a windmill (or a sail for that matter) would only be good up to the speed of the wind. Its use, like sailboats and sailcarts would be to redirect the force of the wind from any direction into a forward direction relative to the vehicle in question. After reaching the current windspeed, another source of power would be required to go faster. Also if you had that source, the windmill or sail would then become an extra factor in drag on the vehicle, basically like lifting a piece of plywood up when its windy, which would hinder the forward performance (it would be a good brake though). On the other hand solar power would be very useful say if you put a solar panel on the roof, hood, trunk of the car. It would not pose much of a drawback either in drag created (as long as it was built into the body, and not attached on the outside), and as far as I know it would not create a great deal of a weight increase. Again though, it would not generate enough electricity on an average vehicle (as in a family sedan or pickup truck) to move very fast without a second source of power such as a hydrocarbon engine or battery stored electricity. There are specialty vehicles which run solely on solar power, but they are usually designed and built with the least amount of weight and air resistance as possible (made from plastic or composite and look like flattened sausages).

Answer 2

Automobiles are actually pretty large compared to the amount of wind or solar energy that's available. In other words there is not enough sunlight and wind together (nearby) to propel a modern car at a decent speed. The best way to use those energy sources with cars will come when the 100% electric car is perfected, and we can recharge them at home or wherever from a wind or solar source.

I don't mean to sound smart aleck, but if you think about it, a wind powered car would be just as easily made by mounting a sail on it, and you can imagine the low speeds you would get from that, to say nothing of the impracticalities involved.

Answer 3

You seem to be prompted by thinking about clean air technology for driving cars but both the ideas do not offer a feasible solution.

Solar-power cannot be used for cars because you would need a disproportionately large solar cell panel to produce barely enough electrical energy for car lights and airconditioning.

Large solar panels are now used in Jerusalem on roof tops of houses. You have to remember that Jerusalem is a city on top of a hill which gets plenty of wind. The solar panels produce just enough heat to warm the water for a shower in winter. You cannot produce enough hot water with solar panels for air conditioning unless the solar panel covers a large surface area on a sloping panel of a some sports clubs in tropical countries.

Using a windmill mounted on the roof of the cars is totally impractical without enough wind unless you want to make a sailboat moving on wheels on the flat surface in an open area.

Traditional windmills use the wind power to drive machinery for grinding wheat into flour. The modern versions of windmills, which use wind power to generate electricity, are called wind turbines They are very large structures built along the ridges of long areas of high land. They can withstand heavy gusts wind. Where can you get so much wind to drive a vehicle on a crowded street and how can you ever mount such a heavy structure its rooftop?


If the suit cases that are securely strapped to the roof of a car are dropped on its roof from a certain height the very impact will make the roof cave in.

Answer 4

Small-scale windmills don't produce very much energy. For example, a windmill that you put near your house will only produce about 5% of your home's energy needs, and that's as tall as a house. Plus if you put a windmill on your car it will create a lot of drag and probably do more harm than good.

There are some cars with solar panels. I've seen a design which is essentially a giant solar panel with wheels and a seat attached. The ZAP Xebra electric car has a model which is a solar-electric hybrid. It gets the same performance as the full electric version for about $2000 more.

http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=3804

Answer 5

Use of a wind power in transport dates back to the use of sailed ships.
However, use of it inland on automobiles shall be limited to only those locations that view a steady breeze, isn't it. And also, with it's absence, requirement of an auxilliary power will come to question, for cars can't wait for the next wind to come to guide them. So utilization of wind energy in cars is an almost impractical decision with success possible only in experimental basis & not in a mass scale.

However your solar energy proposal is fantastic. And infact, new age automobile designers are already bargaining with the idea of introducing solar cells in cars.

The present day limitation in the solar field is that solar energy generated by limited processes aren't sufficient enough like the other conventional sources. And large scale production requires massive installations. Add to this the availability of Insolation only at daytime, so, the requirement of energy storage for the night time.

So, the initial plan is to use solar energy for lighting & auxilliary purposes within the cars. Slowly with advent of new battey solar cells capable of producing enough voltage, solar shall take over the entire control.

Answer 6

This is simply an electric scooter. Perhaps that one is not on the market yet, but there are many others already available. Generally, these vehicles plug into the wall to recharge. That electricity could come from solar or wind, but need not. The interesting thing about the scooter in the link is that it has a hybrid drive - actually a small gas (petrol) engine. As for their rollout schedule, you'd have to contact the company.

Answer 7

Your question has been asked at many a meetings of the L.A.Electric Auto club when I was involved with electric cars. Wind mills no! Too much drag. Solar panels yes, in proportion to batteries carried. Solar Cell cars were designed and built that ran at moderate speeds and range, one car was donated to Harris Car collection in Las Vegas
Spartawo...

Answer 8

we can use solar power for automobiles to run. but the automobile using wind cannot be used all the times...... that too ur idea will not be effective in all the cases...

Answer 9

If you'll take time to understand the law of conservation of energy, you'll know why you can't use a windmill to power a car. So, go read these links, and see if you need to repost your question. If you don't have the knowledge to understand these ... sorry, we can't help you.

http://library.thinkquest.org/2745/data/lawce1.htm
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/thermo1f.html
http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/firstlaw.html

Answer 10

Coz the mechanisms r severly under developed bulky cumbersome n expensive 2 maintain. U wud need constant strong gusts of wind to move n therefore that wud affect ur stability n vehicle wud be unstable 4 most of the narrow roads n bylanes.