Science Scene - Faster than Wind Car :o)

A California team recently tested a wind-powered car that can actually outrun the wind, adding more fuel to a lingering physics debate.

In a test three weeks ago, the car hit a top speed 2.86 times faster than the wind, according to its creators.

The creators had funding from Google and Joby Energy to build the car, basically an aerodynamic foam chassis attached to a wind turbine, with the San Jose State University aerodynamics department.

The wheels turn the car's propeller, and the prop thrust pushes the car, which turns the wheels. It's not a perpetual motion machine, because the prop is also using wind energy as an external power source.

The toughest part was designing a transmission system to transfer power from the wheels to the propeller. Design and construction took almost a year.


The next step is a land-sailing record certified by the North American Land Sailing Association.

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