Just as the Formula 1 technologies of today filter down into the production cars of tomorrow, so Richard Jenkins, the designer of the wind-powered Greenbird, believes the technologies behind his record-breaking vehicle could herald a new era of environmentally-friendly transportation. Jon Severn reports.
On the morning of 26th March 2009 at Ivanpah Dry Lake on the California/Nevada border, USA, the Ecotricity Greenbird broke the world land speed record for wind-powered vehicles. Greenbird recorded a top speed of 126.4mph (203.4km/h), and sustained a speed of 126.2mph (203.1km/h) for the required time of three seconds, beating the previous, American held, record of 116mph (186.7km/h), set by Bob Schumacher in the Iron Duck in March 1999 at the same location (Fig.1).
The Greenbird project is a partnership between …Â Details
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Land speed record holder Dave McDonald of San Carlos can quickly provide a logical answer for almost any question about his hobby of choice — drag racing at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in his 1998 Pontiac Firebird.
He nonchalantly explained the parachutes on the back of the car with the fact that “brakes really don’t do you much good until you get down to about 100 (mph).” Nitrous oxide from the four 30-pound tanks in the car must be added to the fuel slowly in three stages to gain an extra 420 horsepower, he said, or the driver could “smoke the tires.”
“We’re shifting into fifth gear at about 280 (mph). You don’t want the car to get squirrelly at that speed,” he said.