can you use wind to power a car

[DeEllie]

No, you cannot directly use wind to power a car in the conventional sense. While wind can be harnessed to generate electricity that charges an electric vehicle (EV), a car cannot be propelled by a wind turbine mounted on it. The fundamental physics problem is energy conversion efficiency. The drag created by a turbine would consume more energy than it generates, making it a net loss for the vehicle's power supply. However, wind power plays a crucial indirect role in the automotive ecosystem.

The most practical connection between wind and cars is through the electrical grid. Large-scale wind farms generate clean electricity that feeds into the power grid. An EV owner charging their car at home or a public station is, in effect, using wind power if their local grid incorporates it. This method is vastly more efficient than attempting to create a self-contained wind-powered car.

Historically, the concept of wind-assisted propulsion exists. Land yachts or sailing buggies are specialized, lightweight vehicles designed for flat, windy areas like deserts or beaches. They use large sails to capture wind energy directly for movement, but they are not practical for road use, traffic, or everyday transportation.

Modern automotive engineering is exploring wind-assisted technologies for large commercial ships to reduce fuel consumption, but these principles don't scale down effectively for passenger cars. Some experimental concepts involve small turbines for auxiliary power to run electronics, not propulsion. The primary focus for sustainable personal transport remains on improving battery technology and expanding the availability of renewable energy sources like wind and solar for grid charging.

Concept	Feasibility for Road Cars	Key Limitation	Practical Application
On-board Turbine for Propulsion	Not Feasible	Parasitic Drag: The turbine's drag force exceeds the power it generates.	None for mainstream vehicles.
Grid-Charged EVs with Wind Power	Highly Feasible	Dependency on local grid's energy mix.	Major pathway for reducing automotive carbon emissions.
Land Yachts / Sailing Buggies	Feasible for Recreation	Impractical for roads, requires specific conditions.	Niche sporting and recreational vehicles.
Regenerative Braking	Standard Technology	Recovers kinetic energy, not wind energy.	Used in EVs and hybrids to improve efficiency.
Wind-Assisted Shipping	Feasible for Large Vessels	Not scalable to passenger cars due to size and aerodynamics.	Reducing fuel use in maritime transport.

[LaValeria]

As someone who loves tinkering in my garage, I've actually tried this! I hooked up a small fan to a motor and pointed it out the window while driving. It was a total failure—the battery drained faster. It’s a basic physics thing: the drag from the fan slows the car down more than the little bit of electricity it makes. It’s way smarter to just charge your EV from a home wind turbine if you have one. The car itself can’t be its own power plant.

[NoraLynn]

From an engineering perspective, the idea violates the laws of thermodynamics. A vehicle-mounted wind turbine introduces significant parasitic drag, a force that opposes the car's motion. The energy required to overcome this drag is always greater than the meager amount of electricity the turbine could possibly generate from the apparent wind. This creates a net energy loss system. Efficient propulsion requires minimizing drag, not adding to it with energy-harvesting devices that are ineffective at this scale.

[BrooklynLynn]

Think of it like this: trying to power a car with its own wind turbine is like trying to power a fan by blowing into it. You’re just working against yourself. The energy you use to push the car through the air is way more than you’d ever get back from a small turbine. It’s a cool sci-fi idea, but in the real world, it just doesn’t add up. The real win is getting our electricity from big wind farms off in the country to charge our cars cleanly.

[VivienneDella]

I see this question a lot, and it comes from a good place—a desire for clean, self-sufficient energy. The direct approach doesn't work due to physics, but the spirit of the idea is already happening on a larger, more efficient scale. Massive wind turbines generate electricity for the grid, which then powers our growing fleet of electric vehicles. So, while your car can't generate power from the wind it creates, it can absolutely be powered by the wind, making it a key part of a sustainable transportation future.