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With A Brilliant Idea, An Engineering Student From Nigeria Built His Own Beetle That Uses Solar And Wind Energy To Move For Only US$ 6,000
Segun Oyeyiola, an engineering student from Nigeria, built a beetle powered by wind and solar energy from scrap, with an investment of around US$ 6,000. Several engineers, and even entrepreneurs, were curious about this new invention from the Nigerian.
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Project Of The Beetle Powered By Wind And Solar Energy
The student from Obafemi Awolowo University spent over a year adapting materials donated by family and friends and had this idea when he began to raise awareness about CO2 emissions, which harm the environment. The solar and wind-powered beetle of the student also comes with a GPS that helps improve its functioning even more.
The project of the Nigerian student is a great option for the market, considering that it uses two excellent sources of natural energy, solar and wind energy. The solar panel is on top of the beetle, while the wind turbine is under the hood.
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Words From The Professor At McMaster University
The director of the Physics Engineering department at McMaster University, Dr. John Preston, says he has never seen anything like the student’s project. He states that the Nigerian found a way to use both wind and solar energy in the same vehicle, doing something spectacular, as using both energies allows the driver to operate at any time, not just during the day due to wind energy.
Preston states that the wind turbine on the beetle’s hood allows air to flow over the blades while the car is moving. Thus, the turbine is used to charge the battery, which is located in the back of the car. The Nigerian student also built his own suspension system to handle the weight of the battery.
Words From Oyeyiola
Oyeyiola says it is not perfect, as the beetle takes around 5 hours to charge, but he is working on it. The student claims that the biggest challenges he faced were finding good materials to use and also the discouragement from others, who said he was just wasting time.
He says he will not stop and wishes to create other cars powered by renewable energies to turn the hot, sunny, and windy days in Nigeria into an advantage. His dream is for his car to become the future car of his country.
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