[MichBolt]

That was the argument of the physics professor that bet $10,000 it wouldn't work. He claimed it was just temporary and the vehicle couldn't sustain a speed higher than the peak wind speed. He lost the bet.

Here's a better explanation / discussion. The key insight is that the propeller is not a turbine. It's a propeller drawing energy from the motion of the vehicle. I was wrong about the variation - no variation is needed.

DDWFTTW - Directly Downwind Faster Than The Wind

There has been suggestions to dedicate a thread to this interesting concept for boat or land vehicle propulsion. Jack Goodman created quite a stir...

www.boatdesign.net

 

[MisterJJ]

Here's a better explanation / discussion. The key insight is that the propeller is not a turbine. It's a propeller drawing energy from the motion of the vehicle. I was wrong about the variation - no variation is needed.

DDWFTTW - Directly Downwind Faster Than The Wind

There has been suggestions to dedicate a thread to this interesting concept for boat or land vehicle propulsion. Jack Goodman created quite a stir...

www.boatdesign.net

I still haven't seen a clear explanation of what's going on. The assumption I made when I first read about it is that the wind is creating increased back-pressure behind the propeller, which is where the extra energy is coming from. I imagine that if you started it moving in no wind and had a flat wall behind the propeller the propeller would be pushing the air against that surface and the increase back-pressure would push the vehicle forward even faster. Now imagine that you keep the wall constantly behind the vehicle so there is always a constant back pressure against the propeller. It would be harvesting the energy of the moving wall to make it go faster. The wind essentially acts like a moving wall behind the vehicle, allowing it to go faster. Just my first thoughts, so not sure if that's really what's going on.

 

[GJETSON]

Now imagine that you keep the wall constantly behind the vehicle so there is always a constant back pressure against the propeller.

Welcome to Air Surfing! - SciencetoyMaker

(AKA Walkalong Gliding) "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." --Arthur C. Clarke

sciencetoymaker.org

 

[NoMoPetrol]

Tinfoil hat required.

 

[MichBolt]

I still haven't seen a clear explanation of what's going on. The assumption I made when I first read about it is that the wind is creating increased back-pressure behind the propeller, which is where the extra energy is coming from. I imagine that if you started it moving in no wind and had a flat wall behind the propeller the propeller would be pushing the air against that surface and the increase back-pressure would push the vehicle forward even faster. Now imagine that you keep the wall constantly behind the vehicle so there is always a constant back pressure against the propeller. It would be harvesting the energy of the moving wall to make it go faster. The wind essentially acts like a moving wall behind the vehicle, allowing it to go faster. Just my first thoughts, so not sure if that's really what's going on.

Here's a thought experiment. Let's imagine a fixed wind turbine, extracting energy from the wind. Let's say the wind is blowing 10 mph. Is it possible for the turbine to generate enough power to move an object, any object, faster than 10 mph? Or is there some universal law that no matter how much power the turbine generates, that power can only be used to move an object less than or equal to 10 mph, no matter the characteristics of the object?

 

[MisterJJ]

Is it possible for the turbine to generate enough power to move an object, any object, faster than 10 mph?

Absolutely. Given an object with very little mass, you could move it significantly faster than 10 mph. Theoretically, as the mass approaches zero, the speed would approach infinity.. or at least light-speed... or maybe warp 14.1.

 

[MTNbolt]

Absolutely. Given an object with very little mass, you could move it significantly faster than 10 mph. Theoretically, as the mass approaches zero, the speed would approach infinity.. or at least light-speed... or maybe warp 14.1.

Using this calculator:

Wind Turbine Power Calculator

Calculates the power of a wind turbine from size, wind speed and air density.

rechneronline.de

A turbine with 50 ft blades in 10 mph would generate ~ 15 kw. Seems like enough power to push a Bolt past 10mph. I guess this is assuming it’s bypassing the battery and delivering power directly with an extension cord…. Might not be too convenient on longer trips lol.

 

[RichardC]

Here is your free energy. Time Crystals.

Time crystals—how scientists created a new state of matter

Some of the most profound predictions in theoretical physics, such as Einstein's gravitational waves or Higgs' boson, have taken decades to prove with experiments. But every now and then, a prediction can become established fact in an astonishingly short time. This is what happened with "time...

phys.org

 

[Luke Warm]

https://www.reddit.com/r/confidentlyincorrect/comments/oz5fwf
Anyone tried this ingenious idea?

The owner of that Bolt is a guy named Rube Goldberg, a brilliant engineer and inventor.

 

[AHughes]

That's the problem with assuming spherical cows (sorry, old physics joke). It turns out that wind speed isn't steady, but varies slightly. If you can extract energy when it varies above, without losing energy when it varies below, you can go "faster" than the wind.

In this case (video) that's not what is happening tho. The wind generates the initial force for propulsion but the propeller is mechanically tied to the wheels. The wheels turning causes the propeller to drive the vehicle forward. Don't get the mechanics behind it either and there was a 10,000 bet that a physics professor at UCA made using your argument and LOST the bet. Haven't seen anyone actually explain why the vehicle can travel faster than the wind.

 

[MTNbolt]

This is the best explanation I’ve seen: