Generating electricity?

Question

Could you obtain enough power by adapting your truck wheels with brushes and windings ( like 4 windmills), so that the power gained is greater than the power lost by friction?

Would it take more power in gas, than the power in volts you could produce?

Answer 1

not practical with the price of gas

Answer 2

Yes you will get energy, but it will be less then the energy you put in, due conservation of energy and imperfect efficiency.  Turning the generators attached to the wheels will generate electricity, but it puts an additional load on the engine, since the energy they produce must come from somewhere.  The additional load means you will be buring more gas than normal.

Answer 3

Theoretically, it'd be excellent. Remember, one horsepower equals... 746 watts? One gallon of gas contains 31,000 kilocalories, or 129,704,000 joules, and watts are the measurement of joules consumed per second, so at 200 horsepower, you'll get 10 minutes of continuous power per gallon of gas, 200*746 is 149 kilowatts of power per gallon of gas, at 8 cents per kilowatt, means you'll make $120 for every gallon of gas you spend money on, in IDEAL conditions. However, the engine would only be about 20 percent efficient at best, taking it down to $24 per gallon of gas, then the generator efficiency of 40 percent at best, down to $9.60 per gallon, minus the cost of gas, so you're down to $5 profit per gallon, at best. After adding in the maintainence costs and whatnot, it just isn't efficient enough.

Your question is kind of fuzzy... You can hook a generator up to your wheels, above is my math explaining how it would all turn out. The energy balances out, it can't just come from nowhere. Friction is wasted energy, so is the power required to turn the generator, and the inefficiency of an internal combustion energy (wasted as heat!). You could certainly power your house, and several houses around you with your truck, though. Overall? It isn't efficient enough to go through the trouble, since most of the energy in the gasoline is wasted in the mechanics of the system! I hope my rantings helped, in some way or another!