Gearfuse

This is the Greenbird. It might not look like much but it’s going for the world record of fastest wind-powered vehicle. It was designed by Dale Vince of Ecotricity and engineer Richard Jenkins. The current world record is 116.7 MPH and Dale Vince hopes to crush that speed at the dry salt flats at Lake LeFroy in Western Australia.

Using aeronautical techniques and merging them with marine and Formula One technologies, the Greenbird is part aeroplane, part sailboat and part race car. It’s a speed demon only when the wind is blowing. The light carbon composite structure gives it a light weight while the hard sail maximizes its wind thrust. Will it have what it takes to top the record speed? We shall see.

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Venturi has announced its concept car, for now named Eclectic. A fully self-sufficient and autonomous energy vehicle that gets fuel from only natural occuring processes. The solar, wind, and electric powered Eclectic is being designed to make hybrid cars look like a truck with a broken exhaust pipe in comparison. With its 2.5 meters of photovoltaic cells, at least one wind turbine, and NiMH batteries, the Eclectic is designed for urban driving, without the killer smog. And if just doing good for the Earth wasn’t enough, it will also give buyers the option of WiFi kits and a water resistant Sony Radio/CD/MP3 player. The design looks something like the love child of a golf cart and a Hummer, which is more attractive then it sounds. A limited edition of 200 Eclectics will be available in early June of this year, with a gradually increasing availability by 2009. More pics with different angles after the jump.

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