Meet Eolo, A Wind-Powered EV From Colombia

The global automotive industry is pushing for development for cars that emit less to no harmful emissions, that uses alternative fuel or regenerative tech which can also bring the cost of operating the vehicle down to a minimal. This is where electric cars come in. Among several innovations, there have been those that are powered by solar energy or feature regenerative braking (generating energy every time brakes are applied). And the latest new wind is coming from South American nation of Colombia…

The Eolo, Colombia’s only homegrown car. It uses a new and efficient system that uses wind energy to charge its batteries. The name comes from the fact that it is the first ‘eolic’ car ever, meaning that it is powered by wind.

Industrial Corporation Minuto de Dios’ Javier Roldán, the inventor of the system, along with project Eolo designers developed the first prototype of the electric car that recharges with wind energy. The system is based on the simple principle of a spinning wind turbine that charges the batteries which power the wheels.

Eolo features giant horizontal propellers or wind turbines on the front, which spin fast as the car moves, taking in wind and converting it into electricity to charge the batteries of the electric car.

The turbines apparently add upto 10% to Eolo’s total range and it can be charged via a standard plug socket overnight. The project owners claim the car delivers 100 km of range and a top speed of 100 km/h.

Eolo, or Aeolus in English, was the keeper of the winds in Greek mythology, and was used to name the electric car with horizontal propellers, devised by Roldán.

While the technology is crude in its current format and will perhaps take a long time to be a serious contender, but it is definitely a chapter in electric car development worth noticing.