Inventor Planning Long Range Electric Car

FORT SMITH, Ark. - July 16, 2013 - PRLog -- Enterpreneur, Author and Inventor Wayne Hicks is at it again, this time with plans to build a prototype of an electric vehicle that actually reclaims reserve power from the wind passing over and around the vehicle.

"Windriven EV is the name I use for my patent-pending, proprietary design," he says. His concept involves mounting small, highly efficient wind turbines on the vehicle to collect energy form the air the car moves through. That energy is converted to electricity and stored in reserve batteries, which extends the effective range of an electric vehicle by a substantial factor.

But there's more to it than just adding a windmill. Wayne points out that it is impossible to reclaim more energy than is expended in the vehicle's travel, so any dreams of never buying gas or plugging in again are merely that: dreams.

"However, it is possible, by cycling between battery banks, to keep some in the charge circuit all the time. While it may take only thirty minutes to drain a battery, it can take hours to fully charge it, so my design uses multiple banks and charges them in groups. While one bank is driving the vehicle, others are being charged."

Wayne has done most of his design work with the help of computers, but he says there is no substitue for actual experimentation. That's why he's seeking funding now to build the prototype and put it on the road.

"I've gone with IndieGogo.com," he says, "to look for funding. They have a great track record of getting funding for technology projects, and this certianly falls under that heading."

His project went live yesterday, and can be viewed at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/windriven-electric-vehicles/x/3948383 . Wayne can be contacted directly, he says, by anyone interested in contributing to the project.

If he succeeds in building and proving the prototype as a safe and effective vehicle, he has plans with some others to actually go into production. His design can be produced in any configuratiom, including family sedan, SUV, pickup truck, cargo van, and even motorcycles and boats.

"It'll mean affordable EV's that save you thousands a year over gas prices, and jobs as we ramp up production. I'm pretty proud of this design," he said.