By Deirdre Robert
Posted on Feb. 15, 2011. Listed in:
Ever thought you could travel the length of Australia by car for less than NZ$25? A trial run of the world’s first car to run on wind-generated energy has recently wrapped up in Sydney, clocking in 5,000 km for just AU$16 (NZ$21).
Self proclaimed science journalists Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer, from Germany, built the prototype ‘Wind Explorer’ and drove it across Australia, from Perth, via Adelaide and Melbourne, in a journey that took three weeks.
The car is powered using state of the art lithium-ion batteries that are charged overnight through a mobile wind turbine. As for its green credentials, for starters, it’s reported to emit zero carbon emissions.
It’s a tiny car, weighing in at only 200kg (an average car weighs about a tonne). But you should never judge a car by its size. The Wind Explorer is able to reach speeds of more than 90km/h.
When commenting on the Australian odyssey, Gion told the Australian Associated Press in Sydney that its about proving “how good the technology is”.
"There are a lot of sceptical people and we wanted to show them how efficient you can make it."
Gion is confident the car will one day be available for public consumption.
Watch it in action by clicking on the following link: Worlds-weirdest-car
