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Author Topic: How close are we to a solar powered car?  (Read 5077 times)

jingwei3344

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How close are we to a solar powered car?
« on: August 26, 2015, 09:01:14 AM »
How close are we to a solar powered car? I mean a car that can depend on just solar power. Of course I don't believe we could ever create a car running on just solar power. I believe that a good car would be would be dual-receiving energy. One receiving electricity from solar and the other from it's own battery.
But really? How close are we to create a car that if was going to the Sahara could run more then 100mph, and just go on for hours as long as it received it's power from the sun? I know that we have created transparent solar panels which are terribly inefficient at about 1%,yet would provide more solar coverage of the car, but if it could reach efficiency at around 20% and a regular solar panel on the top of the car could receieve around 100%, would this be enough to power the car?
Also just to be more specific, the car would be a Tesla Model S with four people inside. Could it be done?

leo48

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tinman

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Re: How close are we to a solar powered car?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2015, 01:30:37 PM »
How close are we to a solar powered car? I mean a car that can depend on just solar power. Of course I don't believe we could ever create a car running on just solar power. I believe that a good car would be would be dual-receiving energy. One receiving electricity from solar and the other from it's own battery.
But really? How close are we to create a car that if was going to the Sahara could run more then 100mph, and just go on for hours as long as it received it's power from the sun? I know that we have created transparent solar panels which are terribly inefficient at about 1%,yet would provide more solar coverage of the car, but if it could reach efficiency at around 20% and a regular solar panel on the top of the car could receieve around 100%, would this be enough to power the car?
Also just to be more specific, the car would be a Tesla Model S with four people inside. Could it be done?

Even if solar panels were 100% efficient,you wouldnt come close to 100mph.
The average energy from the sun per square meter on a hot clear day that hits the earths surface is around the equivalent to 1300 watts. Your average 1 ton car would have a usable surface area of about 8 to 9 square meters(boot,roof,bonnet) to fix your solar panels to. So this would give you a total of around 11700 watts-or 11.7kilowatts,or 15.7 HP equivalent.
Now, im yet to see a 1 ton car with 4 people in it being propelled at 100mph by a 15.7hp engine.

Maybe !!maybe!! it could be done on rail's,where the friction is very low,and the body shape is very aerodynamic-but that is a big !maybe!

Cherryman

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Re: How close are we to a solar powered car?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2015, 02:00:03 PM »
Not commercial and not ready for daily use..


But there is some real research and progress..
Topspeed over 150 kmh possible.


The Dutch Solar team has won a few challenges in a row with their purely solar powered car.


http://www.nuonsolarteam.nl/?lang=en

minnie

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Re: How close are we to a solar powered car?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2015, 11:57:43 PM »



   For a bit of fun we're having a go with a Tesla car and a good few panels on
the roof (the workshop roof rather than the car's roof).
 I don't think it's particularly economically viable, but it's a start. 
            John.