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California Upstarts Launch Startup, and It Is Awesome

California Upstarts Launch Startup, and It Is Awesome

By Marty Padgett's avatar Marty PadgettMarty Padgett December 18th, 2008

RORmaxxx Formula AE

RORmaxxx Formula AE

Enlarge Photo

According to our sources, children are the future. And although some young people can make the forecast seem very dismal indeed, there are numerous bright spots on the horizon, including two enterprising guys from California, Rory Handel and Maxx Bricklin. (NB: Yes, he spells it with two Xes. He's just that badass.)

Rory and Maxx have created the concept for a car that runs on electricity, the RORmaxx Formula AE. That in itself wouldn't raise many eyebrows these days, but there's more: Those batteries are powered, in part, by the sun and wind. PV cells are great and all, but the smartest part would seem to be the turbine and intake system. Reading the duo's description is enough to give many people a "Well, duh!" moment:

Energy lost under the friction of the air will be recovered through aerodynamically optimized intakes which force air into turbine like fans that will spin brushless synchronous alternators recovering a predicted 20-25% increase in electrical energy of which will then get stored in Ultra-Capacitors for immediate usage. Four strategically placed air flow recovery systems will be installed around the vehicle, but their intakes will not be obvious because the body work design will incorporate them in a way that’s very pleasing to the human eye; an important key factor in vehicle design.

Yeah, and did I mention that these guys are still in high school? Awesome. -- Richard Read

[via worldcarfans]

---

Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius. RORmaxxx Formula AEEnlarge PhotoAccording to our sources, children are the future. And although some young people can make the forecast seem very dismal indeed, there are numerous bright spots on the horizon, including two enterprising guys from California, Rory Handel and Maxx Bricklin. (NB: Yes, he spells it with two Xes. He's just that badass.) Rory and Maxx have created the concept for a car that runs on electricity, the RORmaxx Formula AE. That in itself wouldn't raise many eyebrows these days, but there's more: Those batteries are powered, in part, by the sun and wind. PV cells are great and all, but the smartest part would seem to be the turbine and intake system. Reading the duo's description is enough to give many people a "Well, duh!" moment: Energy lost under the friction of the air will be recovered through aerodynamically optimized intakes which force air into turbine like fans that will spin brushless synchronous alternators recovering a predicted 20-25% increase in electrical energy of which will then get stored in Ultra-Capacitors for immediate usage. Four strategically placed air flow recovery systems will be installed around the vehicle, but their intakes will not be obvious because the body work design will incorporate them in a way that’s very pleasing to the human eye; an important key factor in vehicle design. Yeah, and did I mention that these guys are still in high school? Awesome. -- Richard Read [via worldcarfans] --- Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.

Posted in: Concept Cars, Green



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Responses (2 total)

  1. By  Pickup trucks #1, Posted: 3/30/2009

    concept cars - dodge - ford

    some of us do drive concept cars .. the dodge viper and ford gt where concept cars brought to life

  2. By R S #2, Posted: 5/22/2009

    Nice concept, failed logic

    I think the key word here is 'force':
    "which FORCE air into turbine like fans"
    Applying force to anything will result in more energy lost through additional propulsion than recovered.
    No matter how aerodynamically optimised, forcing air through any kind of turbine will increase the drag, making the vehicle slower and increasing its energy consumption.
    Some cars already use a similar system to create high-pressure air for a supercharging effect at high-speed.

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