Student from Nigeria succeeds in making a Beetle powered by solar and wind energy

With a brilliant idea, a Nigerian engineering student built a Volkswagen Beetle that uses solar and wind power to move around for just $6.000.

Segun Oyeyiola, an engineering student from Nigeria, built a wind- and solar-powered Beetle out of scrap metal, with an investment of around $6.000. Several engineers, and even businessmen, were curious about this new invention by the Nigerian.

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Beetle project powered by wind and solar energy

Obagemi University student Awolowo spent more than a year adapting materials that were donated by family and friends and came up with the idea when he started to become aware of CO2 emissions, which harm the environment. The student's solar and wind powered Beetle also comes with a GPS that helps improve its operation even further.

The student project from Nigeria is a great option for the market, considering that it uses two great sources of natural energy, solar energy and wind energy. The solar energy panel is on top of the Beetle, while the wind turbine is under the hood.

Words from McMaster University Professor

The director of the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University, Dr. John Preston says he has never seen anything like the student project. He claims that the Nigerian found a way to use both wind and solar energy in the same vehicle, doing something spectacular, since, using both energies, the driver does not need to drive only during the day, but at any time due to to wind energy.

Preston claims that the wind turbine on the Beetle's hood allows air to flow over the blades as the car moves. Therefore, the turbine is used to charge the battery, which is located at the back of the car. The student from Nigeria also built his own suspension system to handle the weight of the battery.

Words of Oyeyiola

Oyeyiola says it's not perfect, as the Beetle takes around 5 hours to charge, but he's working on it. The student states that the biggest challenges he encountered were finding good materials to use and also the demotivation of other people, who said he was just wasting time.

He says he's not going to stop, and wants to create more cars powered by renewable energy to turn Nigeria's hot, sunny and windy days to an advantage. His dream is for his car to become his country's future car.