Wind-powered vehicle faster than the wind

It does take some thinking, doesn't it, to grasp the idea of a wind-powered vehicle actually traveling faster than the wind itself? That's what Rick Cavallaro and crew managed to achieve, making record runs during the July 4th weekend at El Mirage, California. The North American Land Sailing Association ratified the results and made it official on Tuesday, where the DWFTTW cart managed to travel directly downwind at 2.8 times the wind speed. This was achieved using an innovative ultra-lightweight, aerodynamically sound cart with a 17-foot propeller which is driven by the vehicle’s wheels. The wheels will turn the propeller which in turn will turn the wheels courtesy of a heavy-duty transmission. Where does the wind figure in all of this? It will function as an external power source in order to move the cart faster than the wind is blowing.

Evatran Plugless Power Station To Wireless Charge Electric Cars

With wireless charging slowly making its way to mobile phones, maybe it's time that electric vehicles get a healthy dose of wireless charging too, and that might come in the form of Evatran's Plugless Power Station. This system works by installing an adapter about the size of a shoebox into the car, which will be able to charge the battery when the car is close enough to the power station's parking block, though the distance required is a very unforgiving two inches only, so you might want to make sure your driving skills are up to scratch. Aside from the inconvenience, the Evatran Plugless Power Station currently operates at 80% efficiency, though it hopes to achieve 90% efficiency on launch, which is slated to be by April 2011 and should be priced around $800.