Spanish brand SEAT has already made a significant impact in the green car world with its SEAT Exeo that uses new solar sunroof technology to generate electricity and power the car’s ventilation system. Now, it is offering a new device that adapts wind turbine technology to power the Ecomotive’s headlights.
The new second-generation Ibiza Ecomotive will feature the Aero-Tonto electricity generation system as an option that can add as much as three miles per gallon to the Ecomotive’s already impressive figures of 94.1mpg extra urban.
The technology works by reducing the need for the turbo-diesel engine to generate electrical power. Instead the Aero-Tonto’s blades spin like a wind turbine producing the charge to run the car’s headlights. The Ecomotive only needs to be travelling at three miles per hour or more for the blades to rotate fast enough to fully illuminate the dipped headlights.
To further boost its eco credentials, the device is made from mostly recycled plastic. Currently the SEAT team is working on a larger version with eight blades each measuring three feet in length that could satisfy the car’s entire electrical needs.
