Occam's Razor, an epiphany, and the end to Combustible Engines

Interesting post OP. I've been thinking a lot about if the economy collapse entirely what methods could be done to provide for simple transportation without fuel. You generating wheel thingy is actually something I had been pondering, but I think others are right that alone couldn't keep the car moving unless you were in very hilly country where downhill it would take nothing to move the vehicle and uphill or flat areas it would require more. I thought also about getting some solar panels on the roof and paddle styled wind generators as well. It probably would be the most efficient thing, but like I said I was thinking about survival mode.

reply to post by littlebunny


I don't get it. You're going to use an engine to power wheels to get power from the wheels?

Using ideas posted by members here on ATS... I am still working on my own design/concepts, however, I just figured I would post some ideas from the concepts brought up so far...


Reconfiguring the Prius, Creating Extra Power by Using More Regenerating Breaking.


While driving down the road, have any of you ever stuck your hand outside the window? I would say it’s a pretty safe bet that most of us have. So each of you already understand the concept, when you lay your hand flat, you get a little resistance, however when you put your hand in the up position you receive a lot of force, and that force attempts to push your hand backwards.

As most of us know, the Prius hybrid car uses both gasoline and electric power. The electric power is created when the vehicle applies the brakes. During one of my online discussions one person mentioned using a windmill type apparatuses to power electric cars of the future. So I started thinking about it. I always look at things from the point of view that they already work, I just need to figure out how. So as I was contemplating that concept while driving down the road, I stuck my hand out the window and allowed the wind to do its thing. While at the same time thinking about electric generating windmills. That’s when it hit me.


As others have already mentioned, entropy is an issue for just about any device that is going to use a hydro style generator. However, there is already a system that works that creates enough resistance to create the energy needed to recharge the batteries inside the Prius. So my thought is this. Create a system that uses the same setup as the breaking system, but use the wind instead of the breaks to create the energy that is needed.

What I propose is this. Use all four tires to get the spindle moving, while at the same time using two open ports in front of the car with windmill type spinners to help with the problem of entropy working against the wheels and axels. And then in-between those two air catchers, have a windbreak. What I mean is this.

As the wheels on the car help spin the same type of apparatus used around the breaking system of the car, and as the air catchers help to spin that apparatus, thereby taking some of the tension off the tires… When that spindle reaches 20/30 mph or more, you release the blocks preventing the windbreak from engaging, thereby allowing the wind to create a breaking actions against the spindle, while at the same time creating the same energy that is continuously regenerated by the physical breaking of the vehicle. However in this action the car never feels a thing as the energy in the battery cells increase. Moments before the windbreak is released, the spindle is disconnected from its spinners. And when the windbreak has exhausted all the energy the power cells will receive in that cycle, reengage the windbreak stoppers that will hold the windbreak in the up position, and then reconnect the spindle to the spinners.

There are many different setups that I can think of, however this is just one setup to get your mind wrapped around this concept. I am positive this will work, there is no doubt in my mind, it already does… Creating the air catchers and the windbreak will take trial and error, and all the moving parts could pose technical issues, however I strongly believe those will be over come in short order.

Here’s another idea…

Dezertskies mentioned using the same type of setup that you find in shake’m up flashlights. For those who don’t know. These flashlights have a very simple setup. As you use a shaking motion, a metal bar goes through a copper coil, in a continuous up and down motion, that creates enough energy to power the light. And if you shake the flashlight for about a minute you can get up to twenty minutes of energy/light in older models, and up to an hour in newer models. One of the newer models I own has held a charge for five days off a single minute of shaking. Not with the light on for those five days, however, when I turned the flashlight off and went back to it five days later and turned it on, it still had a charge.

As I was reading your comments about what you wanted to try and what your friend came up with, a music box started flashing around inside my mind. That led to this simple concept… Using what I have termed a dimpled electric shaft. It can either, A) As you peddle or as the tire rims spin, you could use a cranking system of some kind that in turn turns the dimpled electric shaft, (ie a metal shaft with bumps), when the bumps hit the shakers, it sends the metal bar upwards and gravity takes care of the rest. B) Have the electric shaft hit strikers with their own plugs, just like a music box. But instead of creating music… as the electric shaft pulls down the strikers, when it releases there is enough momentum to force the metal bar up, while gravity continues to do its job. There are so many other ways this could be accomplished, I just thought I would throw this simple setup towards ya and see what you think.


Charles Marcello