Photos: Greenbird 'sail car' hopes to break wind record

A British 'sail car' hopes to break the wind-powered speed record this month to raise awareness of zero carbon vehicles. Ecotricity founder Dale Vince and engineer Richard Jenkins plan to smash the current 116.7mph record with their specially-designed Greenbird vehicle.

The attempt will take place on Lake Lefroy in Western Australia, but Jenkins warns on the team's blog that current weather conditions could cause a delay. He writes that "water remaining on the lake surface is a concern" because too much water could result in his craft aquaplaning.

The Greenbird 'car' uses a solid sail, has a body made from carbon composites -- like F1 cars -- and is capable of travelling 3-5 times the wind speed. Both men hope technology from the car might feed into the next generation of small-scale wind turbines.

Dale is also using the record attempt to highlight his plans to get a Lightning and Tesla going on sale first in the UK.

The current wind speed record is held by Bob Schumacher, who set it Nevada in 1999. Greenbird's success looks likely to depend on the weather, as the team says there is a three week window for success.

Click on for photos of the Greenbird in-situ.

• Previous
• Continue

• Share:
• 
• 
•