Solar Power Cars Remain Elusive Many Year Later

Few people will disagree about the desirability of having a vehicle that may drive by gas stations and leave no pollution behind, yet solar energy vehicles have not become very fashionable. The solar cells are awfully frail, they generate a touch of power and motors powered in solar electricity vehicles produce too little a quantity of horsepower to make them efficient.

For about 20 years the annual race of solar power cars runs in Australia from Darwin to Adelaide, a trip of about 1,877 miles at top speed of nearly 62 miles per hour. These races are part of the World Solar Challenge with teams from many major universities and corporate enterprises competing. During the first race of solar power cars in 1987, top speed was just 42 miles per hour and is run to promote research into solar powered vehicles.

There are few efficient applications of solar power cars in use, however a few golf carts are run by solar power and they can recharge while sitting in the sunlight each year. Part of the problem is that the number of solar cells attached to the vehicle is limited by the vehicles size and the motors they operate are generally between two and five horsepower. Batteries are still to heavy to be able to receive enough power to push their weight as well as the weight of the vehicle and operator.

Batteries Work Same As Fuel Tank

Batteries inside solar energy automobiles serve much the same purpose as a gas tank on convention automobiles. While lead-acid batteries are far more efficient and better to connect, the power to weight proportion makes them a disinclined choice in solar energy autos. Nickle-cadmium, lithium ion and lithium cadmium batteries have a better range, but are tougher to include into the automobiles electric system. Usually solar energy automobiles need between eighty and 170 volts to operate.

While cross-breed autos using gas or diesel engines are growing in appreciation, cross-breed bicycles using solar electricity and human peddle power have also grown latterly. Having the ability to get a vehicle moving by human energy before adding power from solar electricity is now being viewed as a likelihood for solar energy vehicles. Except, rather than using human power, stored battery-operated motors are being used.

Since there are no established designs for solar power cars many designers are focused strictly on reduced drag. This has brought about development of many vehicles bearing a strong resemblance to airplanes.

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Evans D. Smith