Solar Cars
Author: Sammy Bickmen
The "Almost" Forgotten Energy
Solar energy technologies and other technologies that use sunlight and secondary solar resources are critical to the current green/cleantech revolution.
Technologies using solar energy, such as photovoltaics and water heaters increase the supply of energy while technologies including passive design and shading devices reduce the need for alternate resources and may be characterized as demand side. Enhancing the performance of solar technologies have become massive projects for governments and alternative energy companies who have established niche markets for products, services, and expertise. These solar technologies are currently being developed in conjuction with automobile manufacturers to revolutionize the resorces available for personal and mass transportation.
The Technology
Solar power technologies convert sunlight into electricity using photovoltaics, solar thermal devices, or a plethora of experimental technologies. A solar cell, or PV cell, is a device that converts light into direct current to generate power for small and medium-sized devices. For example, the calculator is powered by a single solar cell, but massive increases in demands for alternative energy sources are revealing trends worlwide toward the construction of larger photovoltaic power stations.
The History
The high cost of solar cells limited development and production in the early stages of this emerging technology. Recent applications of solar energy have proven very successful. Energy shortages such as the 1973 Oil Crisis and the current rise in price of oil have shifted government resources to pursue solar energy as a legitimate alternative energy source. Over the past decade the United States, Japan and Germany have provided the infusion of funding and support for research and development of solar power. France, Italy, and South Korea have followed with programs and critical funding for solar energy research.
Rays of Sun versus "Liquid Gold"
A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels on the surface of the vehicle. At present, solar powered vehicles are not practical for day-to-day transportation.The creation of a viable everyday solar powered automobile has been an engineering challenge for several decades.The center of this development is the World Solar Challenge, a biannual solar-powered car race in which teams from universities and enterprises compete over 3,021 kilometers, or1,877 miles, across central Australia.
The research and development of solar cars has resulted in technology and engineering utilized from industries including, but not limited to aerospace, bicycle, alternative energy, and automotive technology. At present the design of a solar vehicle is severely limited by accessibility and storage of the energy, via solar panels and solar energy, needed to power such a vehicle.To date, solar cars are still in developmental stages and though they contain many of the features available to drivers of traditional vehicles often contain space for only a driver and one passenger.
The Systems
In the solar car the battery pack plays the identical role of a petrol tank in a normal car. The battery pack stores power, or fuel, for future use. Solar cars use a range of batteries including lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), Nickel-Cadmium batteries (NiCd), Lithium ion batteries and Lithium polymer batteries.
The mechanical systems of a solar car are specially designed and manufacturered to keep friction and gross weight to a minimum while maximizing strength and durability. Designers predominantly use titanium and composite materials to ensure a good strength-to-weight ratio.
The "Real World"
The Venturi AstroLab has been highly regarded as the world's first commercial solar hybrid car due for release in January 2008. In May 2007 Canadian-based Hymotion altered a Toyota Prius to use solar cells to generate up to 240 watts of electrical power in full sunshine.
Practical applications for solar powered vehicles currently includes golf carts and a variety of single passenger vehicles for elderly and handicapped. One independent entreprenuer and inventor from Michigan has built a street legal, licensed and insured, solar charged electric scooter. The scooter designed for single occupancy has a top speed controlled at just over 30 miles per hour, and uses several fold-out solar panels to charge the batteries while parked.
A Swiss project called Solartxi, seeks to build a dependable everyday use solar car with a trailer, carrying a 6 m² sized solar array. The Solartaxi is equipped with Zebra batteries, enabling the vehicle with a range of 400 km without recharging. The car is also able to run for 200 km without the trailer and maximum speed just exceeds 90 km/h. The car weighs 500 kg and the trailer weighs 200 kg. Reportedly, in mass production, the car can be produced for 6000 Euro.
Auto manufacturers and leading designers and engineers are refining leading prototypes for road-worthy automobiles by 2012.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/solar-cars-482037.html
About the Author
Sammy Bickmen specializes in energy information. Learn more about solar energy and solar cars
How expensive would it be to build a car that is powered strictly by solar energy?
How expensive would it be to build a car that is powered strictly by solar energy?
and also by the energy generated by its wheels turning while moving. Of course I understand that it would have to be able to store the solar and kinectic energy to be used later on demand..
I know this is possible, but I would like to know how much you think it would cost, and the reason for that is to find out how far away we might be from having a production car like this.
What classes could I take in college to teach me about cars and how to build a solar powered car by myself?
I want to make a solar powered vehicle that looks fashionable but I would only take the classes during the summer and work on the car as a summer project because I’m trying to get into medical school and I need to be devoted to my studies. I think physics would be a good class but what about manufacturing a car. Would I need to go to a trade school?
Any ideas?
How do I build a toy Car?
Well for school we need to build a toy car.
It can be a
-Balloon powered car
-Solar Car
-Mousetrap car
-Battery powered car
What would be best to do and how can i build it…
The car cant be any bigger than 20cm in length and 10cm width. Thank-you if you can help!!!
i need to build a full size solar car but how?
i am going to build a full size solar car but what do i need and how to i do it
Can somebody please post a link to how to build a solar car at school and how it works and everything else?
I need to know how a solar car works, how is it beneficial and how is it built etc.
I wanna know how a solar car will benefit the environment and other important stuff related to it.
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/gen/fy01/30828.pdf
For some innovative ideas other than you can refer the above link.
About the benefits:
Solar car uses Solar energy which is, unlike petrol/gasoline, renewable energy source and is abundant in nature.
you need to explain more about the benefits of renewable energy sources in particular solar energy, harms of carbon emissions (green house effect, pollution) etc.
you can find more details from the following links. give a little thought on how to present your ideas to others.
Forget about the fashionable part, get it working first. Besides a working model, no matter how klutzy it is, will be attractive for someone. Leave that for the second model.
Use an existing car, something very light. You can buy electric car conversion kits on line. Start with one of those. Then add as much solar cells as can fit on the roof of the car and connect them to the batteries.
You do realize this will not work on cloudy days. Also, the solar array will be a target for theft.
If you are aiming at a manufacturable product, you will need several people at least.
If it’s just a hobby, study up on the electronic aspects, batteries, motors, solar cells, computer controllers. The mechanical stuff can be handled by any good car mechanic.
I know a mechanical engineer who built his own electric car. He started with a SAAB sonnet, a small sports car. Put in a lot of lead acid batteries and an electric motor. Took him a year or so. He had help with the electric parts.
It isn’t a matter of expense, it’s a matter of physics – solar energy at noon on a bright clear day at middle lattitudes is only about 100 watts per square meter. One horsepower is 755 watts, and an average car has a top surface area of maybe 7.5 square meters, so there’s only about 750 watts or 1 horsepower available from the sun. 1 HP is nowhere near enough power to accelerate a 1-ton car at a reasonable rate, and top speed would be maybe 10 or 15 mph, if very skinny high-pressure tires were used. But it’s even worse than that – the best (and most expensive) solar panels available right now, like used in satellites and the ISS are only about 30% efficient. So your car is now down to 0.3HP.
Money is not the problem.
[REPOST]
Storing the energy in batteries, huh? Okay, then this car will need to be exposed to 25 hours of bright midday sunlight in order to have enough energy to supply 15 minutes of 30 horsepower.
Well – as you are embarking on a project like this you should be old enough to realise that projects like this are set to make you ‘think’ and to make you conversant with the fact that there is nearly always more than one way of doing a thing.
If we give you the answer it will defeat much of the object of your project!
first build an electric car. There are several kits on the market. Then load as many solar cells on top of it as you can. Connect them to the car’s battery via a charge controller.
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