Solar Powered Cars
What is a Solar Powered Car?
A question
you may be asking yourself is “what is a solar powered car?” Before
answering that question, we need to consider what it is that generates
solar energy. All solar power comes from the energy of our Sun, which is
dwarf star that is located 93 million miles from the Earth. It is a
mid-size star compared to the billions of others in the universe. The
interior of the Sun is filled with dense gases and is a region that has
an extreme temperature. It is estimated that it is approximately 27
million degrees Fahrenheit. Light and heat produced by the Sun are
produced through nuclear fusion.
By
definition, a solar powered car is an electric car that receives its
power from the sun’s energy.
Solar-powered cars all get their fuel from the exact same place – the
sun. These cars use hundreds of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight
into electricity. Each cell produces about one-half volt of electricity.
It is the Sun’s energy that powers the electric motor in the car. It
also charges a battery for use when the Sun is hidden behind a cloud. If
too much energy is diverted to the battery, the car will run too slowly
to keep up in the race. If the car was designed to put all of its energy
into propelling the vehicle, it would stop in cloudy weather. That’s the
reason it must accomplish both objectives.
Since the
sun is above us, the photovoltaic (PV) cells must be on the top portion
of the car so they come in contact with solar light. Due to our limited
technology, solar cars are limited to a fairly short distance that they
can travel without the sun’s rays. Therefore they aren’t a real
efficient form of transportation for much of our daily travel.
Engineers
and scientists still have many questions to answer and a lot of problems
to tackle before solar power becomes an efficient and economical way to
fuel vehicles. There are some real advantages to solar power as a source
of energy to power cars. First, solar energy releases no pollutants into
the atmosphere. The best thing about it is that it is inexhaustible.
Regardless of how much you use, there is still more available. That’s
why it is called renewable energy. It’s not going to be in the next
several years, but if research continues, and technology keeps
improving, one day solar energy may replace today's combustion engine
cars!
Since solar
cars need of hundreds of photovoltaic cells that convert sun energy into
electricity, they are often designed with very unusual shapes.
But there are also other factors also play into the odd shapes
and design of these cars.
Those factors include reducing the wind drag factor, minimizing weight,
and maximizing sun exposure. These all contribute to the car’s unusual
shape, while trying to make them as safe as possible.
Unlike so
many other devices that utilize solar energy, there are a variety of
solar cell technologies that are used. Among those technologies is
mono-crystalline poly-crystalline, gallium arsenide, and silicon.
Solar powered cars have been around since 1982.
The first solar car was driven by the Australian Hans Tholstrup between
Sydney and Perth, approximately 2,800 miles. It took him twenty days to
complete his trip. Solar powered car racing has been an annual event
since 1985. Australia holds the World Solar Challenge each year which is
1877 miles in length. During this race, the cars make it clear across
the continent. Some of these electric cars get up over 90 miles per
hour. A second annual solar vehicle race takes place in North America
and is called the American Solar Challenge (ASC). It was previously
known as the North American Solar Challenge and Sunrayce. This is a race
where teams from colleges and universities all over North America
design, build and race solar powered vehicles along a long stretch of
road. This tests the team of each car entered in their engineering
skills, teamwork and endurance as the cars are raced across thousands of
miles over public roads.
Each year the race travels a different course. In 2010, the race took
place on June 20-26. This race started in Tulsa, Oklahoma and ended in
Naperville, Illinois, a 1,100 mile course. The 2008 race was in July,
and was between Dallas, Texas and Calgary, Alberta. The total miles of
this race totaled 2,500.