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Wind-Powered Car Outraces the Wind, Leaving Legions of Net Nerds Crushed

by Warren Riddle on July 8, 2010 at 04:30 PM

Blackbird wind-powered vehicle
The Directly Downwind Faster Than the Wind (DDWFTTW) debate provides one of the most entertaining geek arguments of all time, and that's a hardy feat, given the glut of endless discussions about preeminent sci-fi franchises, video game violence and Internet addiction. A (brilliant) kill-joy, Rick Cavallaro, may have just rendered the debate obsolete, though, as his wind-powered car recently blistered the New Jerusalem runway in California, while traveling at almost three times the speed of the wind.

The aerodynamicist partnered with a crew from San Jose State University in order to dispel the once-prevalent notion that traveling faster than the wind in a wind-powered vehicle is impossible (without the use of magic). To achieve its objective, the team developed the Blackbird, an A-frame vehicle composed of bicycle components, go-kart wheels and a propeller that harnesses wind and converts it to mechanical power.

Jalopnik describes the vehicle and its processes with fairly heady terminology, but the crux is that the Blackbird eventually destroyed the wind, traveling 38.47 mph compared to the wind's measly 13.5 mph. The Cavallaro crew isn't complacent after the victory, though; it hopes to achieve even faster speeds with future Blackbird refinements. Yeah, that's right. Eat it, nature (and, more importantly, all you doubting nerds). [From: Faster Than the Wind, via: Jalopnik and The Huffington Post]

Tags: alternativeenergy, blackbird, car, cartech, ddwfttw, green, greentech, physics, RickCavallaro, top, transportation, windpower

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