Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

New wind powered speed record for Ecotricity Greenbird

by Madeline Carroll 27 Mar 2009 11:06 EST 26 March 2009
The Ecotricity 'Greenbird', driven by British engineer, Richard Jenkins has smashed the world land speed record for wind powered vehicles © www.greenbird.co.uk

British engineering propels man to new world wind powered speed record

On the morning of March 26th, on the 'dry' Lake Ivanpah, a British man became the fastest naturally powered human on the planet.

The Ecotricity 'Greenbird', driven by British engineer, Richard Jenkins smashed the world land speed record for wind powered vehicles. The Greenbird clocked 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h) , eclipsing the old, American held, record of 116 mph, set by Bob Schumacher in the Iron Duck in March 1999 at the same location.

The futuristic Greenbird is the most advanced wind powered vehicle on Earth. A highly-evolved vehicle that uses a combination of technology found ordinarily on Aircraft and Formula 1 cars to achieve staggering speeds with no engine in sight - the record speed was reached in winds of just 30mph! The chosen name is a nod to Donald Campbell’s all-conquering Bluebird, The Bluebird achieved incredible speeds in a golden age of fossil fuels - when oil was cheap and no one had thought that one day it would run out. Fast forward to today and we are coming to the end of the age of fossil fuels and the dawn of the age of Renewables. Ecotricity’s Greenbird triumph in America symbolises this historical watershed better than anything else by demonstrating how cutting edge British technology can harness the power of the wind.

And Ecotricity are already working on their next innovative wind project. Ecotricity is working with a team of highly skilled engineers to create a 2nd generation wind powered which will be a real and practical alternative to petroleum, diesel and hydrogen fuelled vehicles; powered using electricity generated by the wind.

Dale Vince said: “today’s record is an amazing achievement. It shows what is achievable with great British engineering and the power of the wind. In the next twenty years I firmly believe that wind power will be our main energy source and wind-powered cars will no longer be the stuff of dreams. At Ecotricity we are dedicated to making this a reality which is why we were behind today’s new record and why we will soon be revealing a wind-powered super car for everyday use. We want to change the world and create a very real solution to transport in a post-oil economy.”

The Greenbird is the fifth generation in a line of vehicles designed and built by Richard Jenkins on his ten year quest to break the world speed record. Testing has been carried out in the UK, Canada, America and Australia, in an attempt to track down the rare set of weather and (natural) surface conditions required to achieve maximum speed, but it turned out to be Ivanpah, 35 miles SW of Las Vegas, on the border between California and Nevada, that provided the opportunity almost exactly ten years after the old record was set there.

"It has been an incredibly difficult challenge" commented Richard. "Half the challenge is technical, having to create a more efficient vehicle than the previous record holder, then the rest is luck, being in the right place, at the right time, to get the perfect conditions, with the right people watching. I must have been on record standby at some remote location around the world for at least two months of every year for the past ten years. Today, everything came together perfectly and the Greenbird stepped up to the mark and performed amazingly. I am absolutely delighted".

In a north westerly wind of around 30 mph, the Greenbird was able to use the maximum distance available on the lake, of almost 2 miles, to accelerate from rest up to record speed. Watched by over 100 land sailors, during the 'Americas cup' (land sailing) regatta currently taking place at Lake Ivanpah, the Greenbird became the fastest wind powered vehicle on the planet in spectacular fashion, beating the old record by ten miles an hour.

More information at www.greenbird.co.uk

Related Articles

Naples to host 2027 America's Cup
The fight for the Auld Mug will take place under the watchful shadow of Mt Vesuvius The Government of Italy, in conjunction with Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, are pleased to announce Italy as the Host Country and Naples as the Host City for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup to be held in 2027. Posted today at 8:17 am
Coutts gives some advice to ageing pro teams
Coutts sounds a warning to the 12 teams to refresh their talent and upskill younger sailors Speaking with Stevie Morrison at the SailGP Technologies facility in Southampton, UK, Coutts sounds a warning to the 12 teams to refresh their talent, upskill younger sailors, and bring them into the SailGP teams. Posted today at 12:28 am
Dragon Worlds at Vilamoura day 3
Consistency and competition Day 3 of the Dragon World Championship by Tivoli Hotels & Resorts brought another day of top-level competition in Vilamoura, as the international fleet completed two races as scheduled. Posted on 14 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 1
Smaller kites shrink the riders and mix the fleet Brave riders grabbed their opportunities on day one of the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships, in Urla, Turkiye. Posted on 14 May
Register now for Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week
LBRW is open to multiple classes and in 2025 the event is proud to host the Catalina 37 Nationals Exciting racecourses with flat water offerings inside of the Long Beach breakwater, and big waves and big breeze on the outside are just a few of the factors that make the Long Beach Race Week regatta one of the most enjoyable on the west coast. Posted on 14 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water. Posted on 14 May
Sail Canada & SailTies extend their partnership
Sailing log application, built for smartphones, designed for the way people go sailing Sail Canada and SailTies are pleased to announce the extension of their partnership started in 2024, as well as the deepening of their relationship. Posted on 14 May
44Cup Porto Cervo starts tomorrow
This event sees the high performance one design owner-driver fleet back up to 11 in number RC44 racing returns to Europe tomorrow with the start of the 44Cup Porto Cervo, hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Posted on 14 May
New study in Vendée Globe could be a game changer
Research is being carried out by a bio-engineering specialist into human performance What effect does racing alone around the world on a high performance IMOCA yacht have on the human body and mind? Posted on 14 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 3
The wind stays away and the day is cancelled once more For the third consecutive day, the ILCA World Championship race course remained stalled under a windless sky. A dense fog clung to the Olympic Sailing Center, muting the horizon and chilling the air to a damp 17 degrees C. Posted on 14 May
Selden 2020 - FOOTERTrofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Range