Patent ID: 8344534

Claim:
A system for capturing energy from environmental air moving relative to a moving vehicle, the system comprising: a vehicle having a vehicle body with a front and a rear, the vehicle body having an interior with a motor compartment and a passenger compartment and an exterior enclosing the motor compartment and the passenger compartment, at least one aperture being formed in the exterior of the vehicle body through which air enters the interior of the vehicle body; an energy capture apparatus for capturing energy from air being forced through the aperture by movement of the vehicle though an environmental of air, the energy capture apparatus comprising: a primary guide duct positioned in the interior of the vehicle body and having an interior in communication with the at least one aperture with the interior of the primary guide duct forming a portion of an air path in the vehicle body, the primary guide duct having an entrance adjacent to the at least one aperture and an exit; a turbine assembly positioned in the interior of the vehicle body and configured to have an input in communication with the exit of the primary guide duct to receive air flowing along the air path through the primary guide duct and form a portion of the air path, the turbine assembly including a rotor configured to be rotated by the movement of air along the air path, the turbine assembly having an output for exhausting air moving through the turbine assembly along the air path; a generator configured to receive rotational motion from the rotor of the turbine assembly and to generate electrical power from the rotational motion; a secondary guide duct positioned in the interior of the body and having an interior, the secondary guide duct having an entrance in communication with the output of the turbine assembly, the secondary guide duct having an exit; and an air utilizing component positioned in the interior of the body and configured to receive and utilize environmental air, the exit of the secondary guide duct being positioned adjacent to the air utilizing component such that air moving along the air path and exiting the exit of the secondary guide duct is received by the component.