"Perpetual motion" truck

The world is full of idiots.

 

"...suggested attaching wind turbines to the cars to generate electricty to recharge the batteries."

Dude, this would totally work if the driver and passengers blew super hard on the wind turbines!

 

Hey, that will work, didn't you see how fast the alternators were spinning? And there were 2 of them and only 1 motor you know. Oh and the motor wasn't spinning as fast as them alternators. You also have to remember he is only charging 1 battery pack, not both.
I wonder if he jacked the car up in the garage he could maybe have enough excess slectric to run his house?












yes, I'm joking.

 

Sad that the guy will actually waste more time on that "great idea".

 

The truck looks like small Datsun, almost totally stripped in the engine compartment, and the bed removed. It may be a bit larger/heavier than a ZAP truck, but not by much. The ZAP truck takes 6 12V lead acid batteries and has a top speed of 40mph and a range 25 miles. This truck uses two banks of 5 batteries each. Perpetual motion, no... but it would be interesting regardless to learn what his top speed is and what his range is. And I think it'd be safe to say that it would move further than 100 yards.

 

Isn't "clueless journalist" redundant?

72% of the people who responded to the poll on the TV station's web site think the inventor's idea is viable. They sure do grow 'em stupid down there.

 

Hate just giving this idea away here for free but I've been thinking about it for years.

If you put larger diameter wheels on the back of a vehicle (say 12" larger) than those on the front the effect would be a car that is always going down hill and should need no fuel at all!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 17 2007, 06:00 AM) [snapback]526791[/snapback]</div>

I get this all the time. Usually the question is about putting "really efficient" generators on each wheel. That way I could charge while moving instead of while just braking. Yup. After I explained the problem, the reply was, well, then just put in two batteries instead of one. You can charge the one battery while you use the other! Brilliant. And apparently it is exactly what this guy is doing.

So the burning question is... why have to batteries? If you are able to "charge" one battery from the power supplied by the other - just put that extra charge back into the first one! Good lord.

If he can go 50 mph (no mention of range) with this setup, just imagine how much faster and further he could go without the extra drag of the generators!

 

How much load can he really place on the alternators anyway? They don't have vee pulleys on the driveshaft the belt runs on the root flat section directly on the shaft so any load will induce slip.
Hey we shouldn't be too hard on the guy, he is having a go and if nothing else he has an electric small truck (ute) which he is playing with instead of a 7 litre big block vee eight.
Pull off the stupid alternators, add a good controller and he has a practical ute.
He has also proved you can build an electric vehicle with no understanding of physics.
Good on him I say.

 

The irony is that I can't find it on urban legends yet.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 17 2007, 06:25 PM) [snapback]527157[/snapback]</div>

Best point yet.

 

Perfect for all who only drive downhill!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 17 2007, 08:25 PM) [snapback]527157[/snapback]</div>

I've got to agree, at least with some of this.

Take it easy on this guy. After all, how many of you have actually been to Tampa? As we all know, the subtle curves in the time-space continuum mean the laws of physics vary, though ever so slightly, from locale to locale. In San Francisco, for instance, you may recall that everywhere you look you find hills looming above you. In Tampa, it is very different. No matter what way you look, you will not find an uphill road. Once you get going downhill, that's all she wrote. It ought to be enough to surpass the load placed on the generators, and you are good to go.

He's having a go, and let's all applaud him for it. Remember that Edison and Tesla both refused to accept the then-current (pun!) understanding of electricity, and they seem to have done well enough.

 

Not really the same thing, but this reminds me of Wile E. Coyote's contraption where he was on roller skates pulling a bath tub on a wagon, while he had an outboard boat motor strapped to his back. The motor was dipped into the tub on the wagon, and ignoring Newton's 3rd law, would drive himself forward.

I remember being a kid intuitively knowing it wouldn't work, but not knowing why.

 

I love cartoon physics!! Anvils fall faster than anything else in existence but always land a few seconds after the person who carried it off the edge of the cliff.

Remember the fan blowing on the sail trick too.

 

put on some solar panels and that wind turbine and your in business lol. oh oh oh and some pedals so you can get a work out and boost performance/ range.

he is my question and im serious. I would want to know what the rang is running on all 10 batteries fully charged as apposed to running on one set of 5 that have to charge 5 other batteries wile running the truck as well. Then switching to the somewhat charged set of 5 that then; well repeat the process.