Two Germans Travel Across Australia in a Wind Turbine Car [with Video]

When it comes to crazy-cool engineering, nobody can top ze Germans. If it’s even vaguely plausible, you can bet that some German crackpot inventor has done it. Well, now two Germans – Stefan Simmerer and Dirk Gion – have broken three Guinness World Records in a ... wait for it ... wind turbine powered electric car.

That’s right, an EV that’s powered by a wind turbine, those big robotic looking windmills you may have seen in farms atop hilltops in Scotland or Pennsylvania. Here’s how it works:

At night, Simmerer and Gion park the Wind Explorer – that’s what it’s called – and erect a nifty looking collapsible wind turbine. While they sleep, the lightweight turbine generates enough energy to recharger the Wind Explorer’s batteries. If they’re running low on energy during the day, they can whip out a kite that helps powered the vehicle forward.

Simmerer, Gion and the Wind Explorer have recently completed a 4,800 kilometer (2,983 mile), 18 day trek across Australia where they either broke or established three Guinness World Records: the first to cross the Great Southern Land in a wind powered car, the longest distance travelled in a 36 hour period and the most distance travelled overall in a wind powered car.

You can check out some sweet videos of the Wind Explorer’s journey below.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Wind-Explorer

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Kansas Thieves Targeting....Jeep Wrangler Doors

We've heard of thieves stealing wheels, tires, GPS and audio systems from cars, but pinching off doors from Jeep Wranglers is something new. However, that's exactly what's happening in Overland Park in Kansas, as thieves are taking doors off Jeep Wrangles and selling them online. Local police told KMBC news that four such thefts took place in the past few weeks alone.

According to the report, because the Jeep Wrangler's doors are hinged on the outside of the vehicle, it's very easy to remove the bolts if the vehicle is unlocked. The Overland Park police suggested that owners should keep their cars locked [maybe a warning sticker similar to the one found on mirrors could help...] adding that there are special bolt kits that make it very difficult to remove the doors.

Source: KMBC

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GP Organizers Cancel F1 Season-Opener in Bahrain Due to Protests

Formula 1 will not begin the 2011 season in Bahrain as planned, due to anti-government protests and unrest in the Gulf country. After a week of discussions and speculations, the inaugural race of the year has been cancelled, at the Bahraini Crown Prince's request.

"We must focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date," said the king's son, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in a phone conversation with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 supremo. Instead of the March 13 debut, F1 will start two weeks later, in Australia.

Held each year since 2004, the Bahrain GP could be rescheduled, but it is too early for such talks right now. "It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country," F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The testing session due to take place on March 3 in Bahrain has been cancelled as well, with the teams going to Barcelona instead for the final pre-season tests.

The loss of the Bahrain GP means the 2011 season will have 19 venues, just like last year. For the organizers, the cancellation is very expensive, since they had to pay $40 million for a place in the 2011 calendar, plus another $20 million for the privilege of hosting the first race of the season. That is before we mention the 2010 modernization of the track that cost $50 million and the direct and indirect revenue generated by the race, estimated at around $600 million in 2008.

By Dan Mihalascu

Sources: BBC , CNN & Autosport