The auto industry so far has not been able to provide the public with a reasonably priced all electric powered vehicle with household plug in capabilities.The main stumbling block seem to be finding a battery that is light, long lived, and has the storage power to enable the vehicle to travel three hundred miles on a charge.While new type batteries are making great strides, they must be recharged overnight (using household current) for a trip of fifty or sixty miles.I refer to the LiS and LiFePO4 and Lithium Ion batteries.These batteries could be used successfully in smaller amounts if an on board battery charging system could be invented.One such invention is the slipstream powered charging system.Currently, only a few manufacturers are offering brake regenerating charging systems which are woefully inadequate for significantly charging the batteries.Of course the hybrid vehicles charge while on the go but the presence of a gasoline engine defeats the purpose.It is a fact that seventy per cent of the motor's power is used to overcome air pressure after attaining highway speeds.This resistance to the air concerns the frontal area presented by the front wheels, the bumper, the grill area and the windshield.Many people have come up with the idea of using the slipstream air to power an electric charger, but no one of these various inventions have made it to the factory.Some have too small air collectors - the funnel-like device behind the radiator area in the front of the car.None of the versions incorporating the hood, roof or sides of the vehicle are very desirable.In addition to the normal grill area, the present day bumper could be grilled to allow air to pass through for additional air pressure at the turbine.Other versions call for extensive tubing extending throughout the vehicle all the way to the rear.This is not necessary and uses up valuable space.The turbine could incorporate cup shaped vanes which could collected the air flow from both sides of the turbine housing, doubling its efficiency.It is not necessary to heat this air nor to provide any special exhaust method other than a bell shaped exhaust edge for better extraction.While it is true that the Cd of the auto would be increased somewhat by the wind resistance of the turbine generator, the captured energy would be a useful source of electricity to charge the battery without significantly affecting the Cd figure.One inventor calls for a compressed air cylinder for starting the turbine impellers moving.This would not be needed since motor/generator are connected and move with battery power.Another unnecessary component is the idea of a fly wheel to store energy for use while stopped.The battery is the ideal device to store the vehicle's energy so the considerable weight of the fly wheel is not needed.President Obama has promised to do everything he can to promote alternative energy sources, to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and take steps to safeguard the air we breathe and the water we drink for future generations.
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