Manas Verma comments upon the solar energy – driven cars and their utility and the production rate in the current scenario.
He also presents a comparison of such cars with the regular natural fuel driven cars, so as to evaluate their efficiency at a comparative scale/level.
With the onset of electrics cars, EVX Ventures takes it one step further and has added solar panels to an electric car called the Immortus. The name comes from the fact that the sports car can drive indefinitely under the sun, cruising at 60 kilometers per hour – it never dies. The roofs are covered with solar panels, the tires are specially designed for “solar racers”, the body is incredibly aerodynamic, it exerts a lot of power for a car with a small mass, all while maintaining a “compelling and stylish” look. So far this is only a limited edition sports car – only a 100 or less will be sold. However, the main point of the car is to see how efficient solar panels can be used on cars. Eventually there will be a full-scale version of this car by the end of 2016 (O’Callaghan).
EVX Ventures is a company based in Australia. With hopes to fill the future with self-powering cars, they started off with focusing on a lot of research and commercialization of solar and electric vehicle technologies. The Immortus is their first product they plan to commercialize. The car costs $370,000. It only weighs 700kg, and with its 50-100 kilowatt hour lithium battery, it can produce enough power to reach 160 kilometers per hour, and if restricted to solar power, it can cruise at 80 kilometers per hour.
The makers of the car were inspired by “the world portrayed in post-apocalyptic movies” – and indeed, their car would survive it. All sci-fi aside, to be dependent solely on solar power would definitely allow us to be resilient to catastrophic events. If nothing is interconnected by a grid, and as long as sunlight persists, solar panels would be able to survive in such catastrophic scenarios. In terms of energy efficiency, it obviously does not even compare to regular gas cars. The process in which a regular gas car piston works is highly inefficient. Electric motors naturally top gas pistons, but with this car, the electricity is provided directly from its own solar panels – the electricity is not being provided from a far away power plant that could be releasing pollutants while inefficiently producing energy. With the car generating power right from sunlight, it seems to be incredibly energy inefficient.
CONCLUSION
Far into the future, there is a possibility that self-driving cars will dominate the roads. If these cars are equipped with solar panels, then normal everyday transportation would lose its dependence from energy sources – like charging stations or gas stations. Moreover, this could encourage the assimilation of solar panels on existing technologies. As solar cells become more and more efficient, they can be scaled down – perhaps onto a laptop or tablet, and they can be scaled up – possibly on ships, planes and spacecrafts.
In the short term, if this technology is added on to existing hybrid or fully electric cars, it could prevent the “long tail pipe” problem – i.e. the electricity powering, the car could not have possibly come from an environmentally harming way.
REFERENCES
a) O’Callaghan, Jonathan. “The World’s First Solar-Powered Sports Car Could Drive Forever.” IFLScience. 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
Link – http://www.iflscience.com/solar-powered-car-could-drive-ever-if-you-dont-go-above-40mph
