Why Don’t We Use Solar Powered Vehicles?

Solar energy almost in every aspect of our lives We use it, except for one place: cars.

Really, why are we still using electric vehicles when technology is so advanced? solar powered cars we don’t use it?

In fact, there are examples of cars powered by solar energy.

The best example is the festival held every two years in Australia. In the World Solar Challenge race is available. Competitors must travel nearly 3,000 kilometers from Darwin on the country’s north coast to Adelaide on the south coast, using solar energy alone.

Even if such a device were invented, could it collect enough sunlight?

Although a large amount of sunlight falls on Earth during the day, the light is scattered as it passes through the atmosphere and the amount that reaches any surface is quite low. If we eliminate seasonal differences, the annual average approximately 342 watts per square meter is falling.

Although vehicle dimensions vary, a full-size vehicle is approximately 5.48 meters long and 1.82 meters wide, meaning its horizontal surface approximately 9 to 10 square meters varies, which collects approximately 3,420 watts.

A standard car is too much to collect solar energy It does not have enough surface area.

Another problem is that today’s solar panels have low efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity.

Generally efficiency rates 20% In other words, they convert one-fifth of the solar energy reaching them into electric current.

This means that the 3,420 watts of solar energy on an average car covered with solar panels will only provide about 684 watts of energy. In comparison, for an electric vehicle to travel at 100 kilometers per hour Approximately 20,000 watts are required.

It is also necessary to consider how much solar energy can be produced based on geographical locations, daylight hours and weather conditions.

Because the Earth is tilted on its axis, at any given moment Not all areas receive equal amounts of sunlight. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, the upper part of the earth receives more sun and experiences spring and summer, while the southern hemisphere becomes colder and darker.

When the southern half of the planet is tilted toward the Sun, regions on the southern half of the Earth receive more sun and the upper half receives less. solar powered cars, on cloudy or rainy days will have difficulty collecting enough sunlight.

Also, one of the biggest problems is that drivers, waiting for their cars to start at night. For a solar-powered car to run in the dark, it must use the extra energy it collects during the day and store it in a battery.

Solar panels and batteries increase the weight of the car and require heavier cars to be powered. More energy is required. For now, the closest option to a solar-powered car is an electric vehicle that is charged at home or at a charging station.

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