Widget Request, Airspeed Gauge for cars

Ian Dale

Hi, as a pilot I am always aware of the massive effect of wind speed/direction on any journey but there are no apps or widgets that can display airspeed for cars. It is vastly cheaper to drive with a tail wind than a head wind and the range of a car is so much better with a tail wind. Can you develop a widget that displays GPS speed +- the local wind component to show how efficiently we are driving? Perhaps even a route finder that suggests the optimal day to drive long distance based on the forecast wind along the route?

Example – My Tesla 85D at 70 mph
• Still air range ≈ 240 mi
• 20 mph headwind → effective airspeed = 90 mph
→ drag × (90² / 70² ≈ 1.65) → about 35–40% more energy per mile → real range ≈ 175–190 mi.
• 20 mph tailwind → effective airspeed = 50 mph
→ drag × (50² / 70² ≈ 0.51) → about 25–30% less energy per mile → real range ≈ 300 mi

The above was ChatGPT, if the maths is wrong you still get the point 😂😂😂

Gkikas LGPZ

@Ian-Dale
Please take into account two more parameters that make it more difficult:

Every car (type) has a different drag coefficient.
Cars go on ground where the actual wind speed is mostly different than the one forecast models provide. Also, the cars don't have airspeed measuring devices (like Pitot tubes on aircrafts). Aircrafts fly at high altitude where the wind speed is more stable (laminar flow) and more accurate in forecasting (not influenced by mountains).

Ian Dale

@Gkikas-LGPZ And if anyone can get close to achieving this, I'm sure with everyones' support Windy would have the best shot at it. How close might we get to have an average estimate that works over a distance? Perhaps the caveat is it works on relatively flat ground but not the Alps. Like yourself I've seen firsthand the way wind direction/speed changes as you descend towards the ground. Its an interesting one to solve.

idefix37

@Ian-Dale
For a first approach you can have fun playing with the Route Planer. Here is an example with the “From left to right” option which allows you to visualize when you have a head wind or a tail wind. See “more options” to set the direction reference of the wind.

See this thread about this feature

I know it is not exactly what you want, but it can help you, may be.