Solar powered car. Views and perspectives

In the search for alternative energy sources, car companies are investing heavily in innovation. Thanks to this, the auto world received really efficient electric vehicles, as well as power units on hydrogen fuel.

About hydrogen motors, we already recently spoke... Let's focus a little more on electric vehicles. In the classic version, this is a car with a huge battery (although there already exist supercapacitor models), which is charged from the household power supply, as well as at a gas station terminal.

Considering that one charge, especially in cold weather, does not last long, engineers are trying to equip the car with additional systems for collecting useful energy, which is released during the movement of the car. Thus, the recuperation system collects kinetic energy from the braking system, and when the car is coasting, the chassis acts as a generator.

Some models are equipped with an internal combustion engine, which works only as a generator, regardless of whether the car is driving or not. An example of such vehicles is the Chevrolet Volt.

There is another system that allows you to get the required energy without harmful emissions. These are solar panels. It should be admitted that this technology has long been used, for example, in spacecraft, as well as to provide power plants with their own energy.

What can you say about the possibility of using this technology in electric vehicles?

General characteristics

The solar panel works on the principle of converting the energy of our luminary into electricity. In order for the car to be able to move at any time of the day, energy must be accumulated in the battery. This power source must also provide the necessary electricity for other consumers necessary for safe driving (for example, wipers and headlight bulbs) and for comfort (for example, heating the passenger compartment).

Several companies in the United States pioneered the use of this technology in the 1950s. However, this practical step was not successful. The reason was the lack of high-capacity batteries. Because of this, the electric car had too little power reserve, especially in the dark. The project was postponed until better times.

In the 90s, they became interested in the technology again, as it became possible to create batteries with an increased efficiency. Thanks to this, the model could collect more energy, which could then be used while moving.

The development of electric transport makes it possible to use the charge more efficiently. In addition, every car company has an interest in reducing energy consumption by reducing the drag from the transmission, oncoming airflow, and other factors. This allows you to increase the power reserve on a single charge by more than one kilometer. Now this interval is measured by several hundred kilometers.

Also, the development of lightweight modifications of bodies and various units played a good help in this. This reduces the weight of the vehicle, positively affecting vehicle speed. All these innovative developments are used in solar vehicles.

The engines that are installed on such cars deserve special attention. These are brushless models. Such modifications use special rare magnetic elements that reduce rolling resistance and also increase the power of the power plant.

Another option that has maximum effect is the use of motorized wheels. So the power plant will not waste energy to overcome resistance from different transmission elements. This solution will be especially practical for a car that has a hybrid type of power plant.

The latest development allows the use of an electric power plant in almost any four-wheeled vehicle. This modification is a flexible battery. It is able to efficiently release electricity and take many forms. Thanks to this, the power supply can be installed in different departments of the car.

Battery charging is carried out from the panel, which is mainly located on top of the car, since the roof has a flat structure and allows you to place the elements at right angles to the sun's rays.

What are the solar vehicles

Almost every company is developing efficient solar vehicles. Here are some of the concept car projects we have already completed:

• The French electric car with this type of power source is the Venturi Eclectic. The concept was developed in 2006. The car is equipped with a power plant with a capacity of 22 horsepower. The maximum transport speed is 50 km / h, at which the cruising range is fifty kilometers. The manufacturer uses a wind generator as an additional source of energy.
• Astrolab Eclectic is another development of the same French company, powered by solar energy. The peculiarity of the car is that it has an open body, and the panel is located around the perimeter around the driver and his passenger. This keeps the center of gravity as close to the ground as possible. This model accelerates to 120 km / h. The battery itself has a large capacity and is located directly under the solar panel. The power of the installation is 16 kW.
• Dutch solar car for the whole family - Stella. The model was developed by a group of students in 2013. The car has received a futuristic shape, and the body is made of aluminum. The maximum distance that a car can cover is about 600 kilometers.
• In 2015, another operating model appeared - Immortus, which was created by EVX Ventures from Melbourne, Australia. This two-seater electric car has got a decent solar panel, the area of ​​which is 2286 square centimeters. In sunny weather, vehicles can travel all day without recharging at any distance. To provide energy to the on-board network, a battery with a capacity of only 10 kW / h is used. On a cloudy day, the car is capable of covering a distance of 399 km, and even then at a maximum speed of 59 km / h. The company plans to launch the model in a series, but limited - only about a hundred copies. The cost of such a car will be approximately 370 thousand dollars.
• Another car that uses this type of energy shows good results, even as a sports car. Solar World GT's Green GT model has 400 horsepower and a speed limit of 275 kilometers per hour.
• In 2011, a competition among solar vehicles took place. It was won by Tokai Challenger 2, a Japanese electric vehicle that uses solar energy. The car weighs only 140 kilograms and accelerates to 160 km / h.

Situation to date

In 2017, the German company Sono Motors introduced the Sion model, which has already entered the series. Its cost is from 29 USD. this electric car received solar panels almost over the entire surface of the body.

The car accelerates to 100 km / h. in 9 seconds, and the speed limit is 140 kilometers / hour. The battery has a capacity of 35 kW / h and a power reserve of 255 kilometers. The solar panel provides a small recharge (for a day in the sun, the battery will only be recharged to cover about 40 km), but the car cannot be driven exclusively by this energy.

In 2019, Dutch engineers from the University of Eindhoven announced the start of collecting pre-orders for the production of a limited edition Lightyear. According to the engineers, this model embodied the parameters of an ideal electric car: a long range on one charge and the ability to accumulate enough energy for a long trip.

Some of the team members have worked for Tesla and other well-known auto companies that are seriously engaged in the creation of efficient electric cars. Thanks to this experience, the team managed to create a car with a huge power reserve (depending on the speed of transport, this parameter varies from 400 to 800 kilometers).

As the manufacturer promises, the car will be able to travel about 20 thousand kilometers per year only on solar energy. This data interested many car enthusiasts, thanks to which the company was able to attract about 15 million euros in investments and collected almost a hundred pre-orders in a short period of time. True, the cost of such a car is 119 thousand euros.

In the same year, the Japanese automaker announced trials of the national Prius solar-powered hybrid vehicle. As promised by the company representatives, the machine will have ultra-thin panels, which are used in astronautics. This will allow the machine to be as independent of the plug and socket as possible.

To date, it is known that the model can be recharged in sunny weather for only 56 kilometers. Moreover, the car can either stand in the parking lot or drive along the road. According to the leading engineer of the department, Satoshi Shizuki, the model will not be released into the series soon, because the main obstacle for this is the inability to make a high-performance solar cell available to an ordinary motorist.

Pros and cons of solar cars

So, a solar car is the same electric car, only it uses an additional power source - a solar panel. Like any electric vehicle, this type of vehicle has the following advantages:

• No emissions, but only in the case of using exclusively electricity;
• If the internal combustion engine is used only as a generator, this also has a positive effect on the environmental friendliness of transport. The power unit does not experience overloads, due to which the MTC burns out efficiently;
• Any battery capacity can be used. The most important thing is that the car can take her away;
• The absence of complex mechanical units ensures a longer service life of the vehicle;
• High comfort while driving. During operation, the power plant does not buzz, and also does not vibrate;
• There is no need to look for the right fuel for the engine;
• Modern developments ensure the efficient use of energy that is released in any transport, but is not used in conventional cars.

To all the disadvantages of electric vehicles, solar vehicles have the following disadvantages:

• Solar panels are too expensive. The budget option requires a large area of ​​exposure to sunlight, and compact modifications are used in spacecraft, and are too expensive for ordinary car enthusiasts;
• Solar cars are not as powerful and fast as conventional gasoline or diesel cars. Although this is a plus to the safety of such transport - there would be fewer pilots on the roads who do not take the life of others seriously;
• Maintenance of such vehicles is not possible, since even official service stations do not have specialists who understand such installations.

These are the main reasons why even working copies remain in the concept category. Apparently, everyone is waiting for someone who will deliberately spend huge sums of money to get things going. Something similar happened when many companies had working models of electric vehicles. However, until Elon Musk's company took on the entire burden, no one wanted to spend their money, but decided to go the already beaten path.

Here's a quick overview of one such vehicle, the Toyota Prius:

Wow! Toyota Prius on solar panels!