Can Solar Panels Power Cars?

then converted into electricity. That electricity then fuels the car's power train, which is similar to the combination of an electric motor and battery based energy storage that drives modern hybrid cars. Solar cars can accomplish this through photovoltaic cells. These are the components in solar paneling that convert the sun's energy to electricity. They're made up of semiconductors usually

made of silicon, that absorbed light. The sunlight's energy then freeze electrons in the semiconductors, creating a flow of electrons. That flow generates the electricity that powers the battery or the specialized motor in solar cars. The earliest solar cars were d I y jobs of the nineteen seventies, mostly designed and dissembled in car enthusiasts garages. Several organizations also experimented with race cars designed to take advantage of solar power.

The World Solar Challenge began in nineteen three and races about three thousand kilometers or miles across Australia every two years. The American Solar Challenge started in nineteen nine and follows a route across North America that changes almost every year. These helped engineers understand the potential and the limitations of collecting and storing solar energy, maximizing aerodynamics, and identifying other challenges to running a car powered off of the sun.

As for major auto manufacturers contributions to the field, Ford and Mazda notably both introduced solar hybrid concept cars in the mid two thousands, and Catillac designed a concept car that used solar panels to help power accessories like interior lighting and audio, which typically draw off of a car's electrical system and thus in turn contribute to fuel consumption.

And none of these concept cars made it to production, which means they were never available to consumers, and after that, investment in solar car technology more or less when dark, at least as a mainstream pursuit. But in the meanwhile, many automakers have shifted development resources toward making hybrid and plug in hybrid cars more practical, efficient, and affordable than ever. So is it time to give solar cars another shot?

The new generation solar cars that are on the horizon are more like hybrids that add solar power to the mix. It's now less about making these solar panels themselves better and more about the fact that hybrid and electric cars and their infrastructure is better. In other words, it's easier and more affordable than ever for consumers to go buy an electric or hybrid car, and these cars are more efficient, easier to charge, and have fewer compromises overall than e

vs and hybrids of just a few years ago. That means there are more people who could potentially take advantage of solar power to run a car, and that solar power will literally go farther than it would have in the past. And that said, solar panel technology has improved too. It's more affordable and easier for most consumers to incorporate into a home update. But solar powered cars still have

a long way to go. It's unlikely that we'll see a car that can be fully powered by a solar panel that's been integrated into the roof, because a panel that size is just too small to produce the power needed for a car. Energy Stage, a company that helps consumers research and shot for solar technology, estimates that a car completely covered in solar panels, not just the roof, could only power an electric car for a maximum of twenty five miles or forts a day, and that's assuming

weather and other conditions are absolutely perfect. Yet, Energy Stage argues that a solar panel that gives a car a boost of just a few miles a day would still be worth the investment, and several automakers are investing in the technology. High tech company light Year released two light Year research vehicles to test its integrated solar technology on

the road in June. Of The company says it's preparing to begin production on an exclusive series of cars equipped with its solar technology by the end of one for delivery in two Toyota is testing a version of the Prius with an integrated solar roof in Japan. This demo version, which is not for sale, can charge the car while it's being driven. It's earlier version could only charge while parked.

Sonata Hybrid, however, is available to American consumers and comes with a solar roof panel that recharges the car's batteries.

The roof panel generates enough electric power to increase the car's driving range by about two miles or three kilometers a day, and the Testlas cyber truck, which was unveiled in November of twenty nineteen but isn't expected to be released until two has an option for solar panels, even though CEO Elon Musk has previously said that solar panels on cars are too inefficient, and that brings us to the question of whether or not the extra cost of

adding solar panels to a car is worth it. For example, cars in sunnier locations and cars that are parked outside rather than in a garage will generate more solar power and offer more of a financial benefit to owners, but it still remains to be seen whether the financial costs

to automakers will be beneficial enough to produce them. Meanwhile, there are d I Y solar panel kits available that are designed to contribute to powering the battery of an electric or plug in hybrid car via the homes charging system. Similar aftermarket kits are offered and marketed as ways to help power r vs or trailers. They can also be used to collect and store energy for camping accessories such as tents or cooking setups like those designed to mount

in the bed of a pickup truck. Today's episode is based on the article Solar panels are Slowly making their Way on Cars on house toff works dot com, written by Kristen Conger and Sres three Wi. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.