Taking a break from hammering on Africa over the dumb stuff, here's some good news:
The retrofitted Beetle comes equipped with a giant solar panel on the roof and a wind turbine under the hood that takes advantage of airflow while the car is in motion. To ensure the car doesn’t buckle under the weight of all the additional eco-friendly tech, Oyeyiola also installed a super strong suspension system.
Never, ever considered the idea of a wind turbine to charge a car while it is in motion. Interesting since the IC engine in cars have to have a place for the "nose" (air intake) to pull in air for the engine. A battery powered car doesn't need an air intake for creating motion, but why not still use the airflow to create power?
So imagine a Tesla type car with a 200+ mile range from the battery, continuously charging the battery while the car travels over the 200+ miles. Seeing as how an alternator can charge a cinderblock sized battery in a claimed 10 minutes (quick Google, have not checked), a well tuned turbine (or 2 or 3) could possibly recharge a Tesla battery pack during a single trip, particularly at high speeds.
Currently, the battery takes four to five hours to charge, which makes it less than ideal
Read more: Nigerian Student Converts a VW Beetle into a $6,000 Wind- and Solar-Powered Car | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
At 65MPH, 5 hours is 325 miles. That's within the range of the top end Tesla.
Someone hand this kid a Land Rover or something with a flat roof and robust suspension! And you Nigerian millionaires I wrote about earlier, You need to be funding this guy and a auto manufacturing plant!
Very impressive Mr. Oyeyiola!
