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Drought
A new European car is a “green” machine.

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any cars come equipped with a sunroof that lets riders bask in the sun while they’re on the road. A new European car has a sunroof that soaks up sunlight for an entirely different purpose. It’s covered in photovoltaic (PV) cells. They turn the sun’s energy into electricity that runs the motor.

The car, which looks like a cross between a dune buggy and a Mars rover, is called the Venturi Eclectic. The electricity that runs the Eclectic comes from several sources. The first is the PV cells; the second is a small turbine mounted on the roof. When the Eclectic is moving, the air rushing past the car spins the turbine, generating more electricity. Finally, the Eclectic is plugged into a socket to extract electricity and recharge its battery when the car is parked overnight.

The Eclectic was designed strictly for around-town driving. Its top speed is only 30 miles per hour, and it can go only 30 miles before its battery needs recharging. Still, its futuristic look has been turning heads on the fashionable streets of Monaco, where the Eclectic is built.

Electric cars are all the rage now that drivers are looking for green alternatives to today’s internal combustion engines. Vehicles with internal combustion engines release carbon dioxide. That's a gas whose buildup in the atmosphere scientists say has been an important contributor to global warming.

Think About It
What other kinds of clean energy might propel the cars of tomorrow?

In the United States, the electric car that has been turning heads is the Roadster, made by Tesla Motors, in California. Like the Eclectic, the Roadster can generate electricity at rest and in motion. When not in use, it is plugged into a wall socket to recharge its battery. When out on the road, its wheels spin an internal shaft, which acts like a turbine and generates an electric current.

The Roadster leaves most of today’s cars in the dust. Tesla Motors claims that the Roadster can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just four seconds. Better yet, its electric motor is said to be so efficient, it would get an amazing 135 miles a gallon if it had an internal combustion engine.

The Roadster is the most promising of today's vehicles, says Jim Motavalli, the author of Forward Drive: The Race to Build 'Clean Cars' for the Future. “It all comes down to the performance of the battery,” Motavalli told Weekly Reader. Most electric cars have a short range; they can cover only a short distance before the battery needs recharging. “The Roadster can go 245 miles before its battery needs to be recharged. That’s on the borderline of being acceptable to today’s drivers.”




  • To find out how a turbine generates electricity, check out this animated film here.

    • Check out other cool green cars:
  • The Top Ten Electric Cars You Can Buy Right Now.
  • 15 Green Cars

  • To learn more about the Tesla Roadster.

    Do you have car smarts or troubles? Get under the hood our car parts crossword to find out!


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