Supercar to use wind power to reach amazing speeds

A revolutionary new supercar will be able to hit a top speed of 155mph - using wind power.

By Daily Telegraph Reporter Last Updated: 6:13PM GMT 11 Jan 2009

The new environmentally-friendly high performance car was designed in California
The Formula AE car will use a solar-powered battery to get it moving but will then use the airflow passing over the vehicle to power a turbine.
It will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds and is expected to cost around £100,000 when it hits the market.
Four strategically placed air intakes, which will be built discretely into the car's bodywork, will channel the airflowover the car's body towards the turbine.
There are two intakes on the front of the car and one on each side towards the rear.
The turbine itself is hidden within the car body and will be connected to an alternator which will increase the amount of electricity available to the car by 20 to 25 per cent.
This extra energy will be stored in efficient storage devices called ultra-capacitors, which will aid acceleration and prevent the solar-powered battery from being drained so quickly.
Paper-thin solar panelling on the two-seater's bodywork will be able to fully charge the battery in just 1.5 hours.
But a new prototype battery could see this time reduced to just six minutes.
A full battery allows drivers to travel more than 200 miles or to race around a track for at least an hour.
The Formula AE will be propelled by an advanced alternating current induction motor with a power output of 212 kilowatts.
The chassis will be constructed from lightweight aluminium and super strong steel in a Formula 1-style monocoque shell.
The sleek motor was designed by Rory Handel and Maxx Bricklinas from Beverly Hills, California.
They expect the prototype to be completed in August.
A RORMaxx spokesman said: "The Formula AE car embraces a rarely thought of alternative source of energy.
"The target market would be the sports car, track day, eco-concerned auto-enthusiast.
"In addition, those enthusiasts who support and would want to promote the future development of revolutionary green technologies."
He added that funding for the project was from a major 'fuel and commodities corporation' which wishes to remain anonymous.
And he said that the engineering expertise comes from two professional mechanical engineers and Mr Handel, who used to work for a racing team as an engineer.
Mr Handel said: "In today's world we need something to spark the imagination of our generation, the ones who will advocate change in this tough time - Formula AE has set out to do just that.
"The vehicle will demonstrate the capabilities of our creative ideas in synergy with the implementation of new alternative energy systems, also with a larger goal of setting the public's attitude towards green technology on a more productive path."