Blackbird The Wind-Powered Car Runs At Twice The Speed Of Wind

Some 2 years ago, Rick Cavallaro and his wind-powered car 'Blackbird' put an end to an online argument regarding the existence of a wind-powered conveyance that'll move down-wind faster than the speed of the wind itself, thus outrunning the wind. Now, Cavallaro and team have reshaped their car to move up-wind at over twice the speed of the headwind, setting new record for an upwind earthbound run. And all this was possible with just a minimal change to Blackbird. The major modifications include the substitution of the propeller with a turbine and the elimination of the transmission. The turbine appears same as the original propeller, but it rotates in the opposite direction and transmits its power straight to the wheels.



In their earlier run back in 2010, Cavallaro had recorded a downwind speed 2.86 times the speed of wind. And this time the upwind was recorded at 2.01 times the speed of wind. A substantial record indeed. Cavallaro sincerely hopes that others too formulate better systems that could break their existing margins.

Via: Autopia