What Is A Solar Powered Car
Like solar-powered homes, solar cars harness energy from the sun by converting it into electricity. This electricity fuels the battery that runs the car’s motor. Instead of using a battery, some solar cars direct the power straight to an electric motor. Great examples of the latest solar powered cars are the University of Michigan solar car, the MIT solar car, and the Berkeley solar car.
Solar cars use to convert sunlight into energy. Photovoltaic cells are the components in solar panels that convert the sun’s energy to electricity. They’re made up of semiconductors, usually silicon, that absorb the light. The suns energy frees electrons in the semiconductors, creating a flow of electrons. That flow generates electricity that powers the battery and the specialized motor in solar cars.
Preservation Of Natural Resources
Even if the solar panels and other components of solar-powered cars consume energy and resources initially during the making, solar-powered cars will require no addition of energy and input.
This is because solar-powered cars do not need any kind of fuel or oil changes, and therefore their dependence on petroleum products is small, maybe just for lubrication of the wheels or replacement of the parts using plastic.
Most of the parts of solar-powered cars, such as the electric motor and other components, are mostly maintenance-free as compared to the engines of gas-powered vehicles.
Therefore, through using solar-powered cars, you will be able to save on natural resources with a significant percentage because such types of cars do not need fuel and other natural resources
Lightyear Says Its $263000 Solar
EV startup Lightyear revealed its first solar-powered electric vehicle, dubbed Lightyear 0, at an event this week in the Netherlands. The vehicle, which Lightyear describes as production-ready, has 388 miles of range, 44 miles of which are derived from solar power alone.
The Lightyear 0 is the product of six years of research and development from its engineering team. That said, it doesnt look too dissimilar from the sleek sedan prototype first revealed by the company in 2019. The specs are a little more down to earth: 388 miles versus the prototypes 450 miles but the overall shape and design of the vehicle appear mostly unchanged.
The inclusion of solar panels, which is rare in the automotive space, is what makes this vehicle stand out. The Lightyear 0 features five square meters of patented, double curve solar arrays, allowing the vehicle to charge itself when its driving around or just sitting in the sun. Someone who has a daily commute of just under 35km could conceivably drive for months without having to plug the vehicle in for recharging.
In climates such as the Netherlands, it would be two months and, in Spain or Portugal, as much as seven months, Lightyear claims.
The company was founded in 2016 by a team of engineers who had competed together in the World Solar Challenge, a race held every few years in the Australian outback thats meant to advance the idea of solar-powered cars.
You May Like: What Is The Cost Of Solar Panels For A House
Cleaning The Electricity Grid
David Kuchta / Treehugger
Yet the extent of the benefits of an electric vehicle depends on factors beyond the vehicles control: the energy source of the electricity that fuels it. Because EVs run on standard grid electricity, their emissions level depends on how clean the electricity is going into their batteries. As the electricity grid gets cleaner, the cleanliness gap between EVs and ICE vehicles will grow only wider.
In China, for example, due to a large reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity sector, electric vehicles were projected to improve from 18% fewer GHG emissions than gasoline cars in 2015 to 36% fewer in 2020. In the United States, annual greenhouse gas emissions from an electric vehicle can range from 8.5 kg in Vermont and 2570.9 kg in Indiana, depending on the sources of electricity on the grid. The cleaner the grid, the cleaner the car.
There can also be a trade-off between addressing climate change and addressing local air pollution. In parts of Pennsylvania where the electricity is supplied by a high share of coal-fired plants, electric vehicles may increase local air pollution even while they lower greenhouse gas emissions. While electric vehicles provide the highest co-benefits for combating both air pollution and climate change across the United States, in specific regions plug-in hybrid vehicles provide greater benefits than both gas-powered and electric vehicles.
Also Check: How Many Solar Panels For 30 Amps
Share Content Via Email
There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but what about a free ride? Think of how awesome it would be if your car could keep running without you spending a dime on fuel. If you drove a solar-powered car that dream could be a lot closer to a reality.
Much like solar-powered homes, solar cars harness energy from the sun, and then convert it into electricity. That electricity then fuels the car’s powertrain, which is similar to the combination of an electric motor and battery-based energy storage that drives modern hybrid cars.
Solar cars can accomplish this through . PVCs are the components in solar paneling that convert the sun’s energy to electricity. They’re made up of semiconductors, usually made of silicon that absorb the light. The sunlight’s energy then frees electrons in the semiconductors, creating a flow of electrons. That flow generates the electricity that powers the battery or the specialized motor in solar cars.
The earliest solar cars were DIY jobs that date back to the 1970s and were mostly designed and assembled in car enthusiasts’ garages. Several other organizations experimented with race cars designed to take advantage of solar power. These helped engineers understand the potential and the limitations of collecting and storing solar energy, maximizing aerodynamics and identifying other challenges to running a car powered off the sun.
Also Check: Do You Have To Pay Monthly For Solar Panels
You Can Power Electric Cars With The Sun And Home Solar Panels
While solar panel car technology remains inefficient and impractical, you can still power your electric car with the sun if you install a solar panel system on your property. If you have an electric vehicle, the electricity needed to charge up at home with an electric vehicle charger can be provided by a solar panel installation.
Solar panels dont just work for powering electric vehicles you can offset your home appliance electricity use with a rooftop or ground-mounted solar installation. The best way to shop for solar is to compare quotes from local installers on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, where you can receive competitive quotes for a solar installation on your property. If you are interested in powering an electric vehicle as well, you can leave a note in your profile to let installers know that you want to increase the size of your system and cover the expected electricity usage from an EV.
Top Solar Powered Cars
The increased and growing interest in sustainable and eco-friendly energy has ensured that talks about solar cars keep growing. The automotive industry has embraced the manufacture and production of electric cars, and solar powered cars seem to be the next stage of evolution.
Basically, a solar car is an electric car that makes use of solar energy. They make use of cells called photovoltaic cells, which convert solar energy to electric energy energy that is then used for powering the car.
The design of solar cars makes them a perfect answer to the menace of environmental pollution no gas means no exhaust. This helps to lower the amount of carbon in the air, making the earth more sustainable. Also, solar powered cars are perfect answers to the question of noise pollution. They are designed to run almost silently, ensuring that you move seamlessly without having to be a disturbance to the rest of road users.
However,questions still remain if these cars are truly worth all the fuss. The factthat solar energy means solar panels raises a question about aesthetics questions like will these cars look attractive are asked on the daily. Infact, the concern about the aesthetics of solar cars, among others, is why theyare still limited to use in solar car races.
This is why we have compiled a well-detailed review of some of the top prototypes released by automotive giants, as well as cars with solar kits that serve as an auxiliary energy source.
Read Also: Can An Llc Own A Sole Proprietorship
Top Solar Powered Cars 2020
Every year the biggest automobile brands develop new prototypes of cars powered by solar energy. The need for cars like these comes from the fact that more car manufacturers are changing to more eco-friendly vehicles, at least gradually.
There are many variants of solar cars some solar-powered cars run only on solar energy. Cars like these are purely powered using solar energy without a combination of another or alternative energy source.
Some models come with supplementary power in the form of a battery. This gives them another alternative means of energy, making them a sort of hybrid model. Other solar-powered cars come with solar panels that are then used for recharging the batteries.
As of now, there is no commercial solar powered in the world the use of solar cars is limited to solar car races although some prototypes exist for public use. The first solar powered car was designed in the year 2013, and 2021 will see the release of the first limited release of solar powered cars, the Lightyear One and Sion from Sono Motors.
Hyundai Releases Car With Solar Panel Roof
Hyundai has released a version of its Sonata hybrid that has solar panels to help charge its battery.
The Korean car maker said up to 60% of the power for the cars battery could be supplied if the solar roof was used for six hours a day.
The panels would provide enough power to propel the Sonata for 1,300km a year, it added.
Hyundai said it planned to offer the roof as an optional extra on other models in its range.
You May Like: Is Financing Solar Panels Worth It
Also Check: How Much Is The Sunflower Solar System
Why Arent Solar Panels On Electric Cars
Solar panels arent found on electric cars because they are very inefficient. As stated above, one hour of being placed in the sunlight will only yield 3 miles of charge. Since the batteries and the motors are the main things that need power, a solar panel system placed on the car would not be able to support the amount of power needed.
Solar panels are also extremely expensive to make, and car manufacturers would not waste their most valuable resources, like money, on something that could be replaced by another charging option that is cheap. Having solar panels on the car would cost an extra $6,000, not including maintenance costs. When an electric car needs about 400 kWh a year, it would be a monumental task to get enough charge for your car every day.
Another reason that electric cars dont have solar panels is that there is not enough surface area on a car to catch the amount of sunlight needed to produce an efficient charge for the car to run on. The only place solar panels could be put on the car is the roof, and maybe the hood. There is not enough surface area to catch the sunlight, which means it cannot be converted into much energy.
Since solar panels are very inefficient, in many different ways, youd think those car companies would not want solar panels on their cars, but many continue to work on better results. Researchers are trying to make them more efficient so they can be better for the environment.
Why Dont Cars Come With Solar Panels Built
Letâs get one common question out of the way: why donât car manufacturers put solar panels on the roof of electric cars so that you can charge your battery while the car is sitting in the sun?
Seems like a good idea, right? Get free fuel while you drive, maybe even never have to fill up!
Theres actually one popular production car that does – or rather, it did for a limited edition. The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 was available with about 200 watts of solar photovoltaics in the roof. Hyundai claims thats good enough to add about 3 miles of range per day if parked in a sunny location. Thats better than nothing, but Im not sure 3 miles of free range a day is really worth the additional cost and complexity of the solar roof.
How about a completely solar powered car? Technically, it is possible. The Solar Car Challenge is a competition for students thatâs been running since 1995. The vehicles race from Texas to California, powered only by electricity obtained from vehicle-mounted solar panels. The cars look like this:
But these cars can travel across country only because theyâre extremely light, streamlined, have no crash protection, and carry one passenger. A far cry from your family SUV.
Read Also: What’s The Best Solar Panels
Is There Something Rather Than Solar Panels That Can Produce Energy For Electric Cars
Many people have speculated over the different kinds of charges that have the ability to power cars. We have already talked about solar panels, but some other charges that others have thought about are generators, wind turbines, and the regular charger.
The best choice for charging your electric car is still the regular charger. There is not enough technology to make solar energy, or wind energy efficient enough to power a car on its own. Research is being done in order to advance this technology, but it may be a number of years before the big car brands start to implement different energy options into their car models.
There are many charging stations that use solar power in order to provide more charging power for the customer. It is easier for the solar panels at the stations to collect enough power to charge the cars because there is enough surface area to catch the sunlight. Charging stations that are powered by wind turbines are, currently, being put into development.
Pros And Cons Of Solar
While they are still a possibility, solar-powered cars are a long way off. There are a number of practical problems with solar-powered cars. Most importantly, it’s difficult for the car’s solar array to gather enough power to move the car. That’s why most solar race cars only carry one person — the extra weight of a passenger would tax the car’s power.
The way solar cars gather and store power is also a big issue. Solar power makes sense for buildings, the space station and even satellites because those structures are regularly exposed to the sun. These applications also have the ability to use batteries to store the energy the sun generates. A large battery pack — with enough storage to power the car from sunset to sunrise — would make an electric car far too heavy, so a solar-powered car must be in the sun at nearly all times to be effective. That means solar-powered cars aren’t very practical if you’re in a tunnel, a covered parking garage or even if it’s cloudy. Building rooftops, the space station and satellites also have the space for much bigger, more powerful solar arrays that allow them to gather more energy. For a car to harness the equivalent amount of energy, the vehicle proportions would have to be huge.
For more information about solar power, solar-powered vehicles and other related topics, follow the links below.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
Don’t Miss: How Much Do Solar Panels Cost In Canada
If There Is So Much Potential Why Dont We Use It
Scientists around the world are very excited by the prospect of using this energy, and a multitude of applications that run on electricity have been designed so they could run on solar panels.
People have tried using solar energy to power bulbs, watches, mobile chargers, and countless other products, but none of them have been successful enough to be commercialized and broadly replace existing products. Basically, as much as we would like to incorporate this energy source into our daily lives, there are limitations to its use.
In recent times, with the advent of electric cars, the idea to fuel them with solar energy also gained momentum. Firstly, electric carseven though they run on electricity and dont use fossil fuelsare still NOT GREEN! People suffer from the misconception that not using fossil fuel means green, which is kind of absurd, considering the electricity we use is generated by burning the very same fuels! So technically not green.
However, what if your car had solar panels that could charge it? Now that would indeed be a green machine!
The Tesla Model 3 was supposed to have a solar panel roof and the Karma Revero also claims to have a solar roof that is supposed to power the car rather than electricity.
Solar Car
Even with the highest efficiency solar cells, which top out around 46%, there is still some doubt that a solar roof could power all the essential functions of the car.
There Are No Fuel Costs
Always the energy from the sun is unlimited and free, but getting solar panels is relatively expensive.
However, as the technology is evolving very first, the prices of solar panels are declining, and it will come to a time when the panels will be very affordable, and almost everyone will be able to afford one.
Also, another important thing about solar panels is that their lifespan is high, approximately 30 years, which is more than even the lifespan of a car.
Now that solar-powered cars lack independence from the external fuel sources, theyre very free from the fuel costs that are associated with gas, and diesel.
The unique feature of these cars is that they use solar energy to operate, and once installed.
There is no need for other costs, such as fuel and engine oils.
A straightforward example of a solar-powered car is that it only needs the owner to spend a few dollars to charge its battery from a power outlet.
The energy that is harnessed from the sunshine has no direct costs that are associated with it, and since the sun is a natural resource, it provides power to be used for free.
Therefore, this is a better way if youre tired of spending a lot of money on fuel for your solar-powered cars because when you have a solar-powered car, then all the problems will have gone.
Also Check: How Much To Get Solar Panels On My House
