An Overview of Solar Cars
The internal combustion engine, otherwise known as the four-stroke engine, powers most cars today. However, long before it became the leading power source for automobiles, there existed engines that solely ran on electricity. Electric cars became popular in the 19th century way before the internal combustion engine captivated the car manufacturing industry.
Years later, a prototype solar car appeared at a Chicago convention in the 1950s. Its inventor William Cobb introduced his 15-inch scale model called the Sunmobile. It was powered by 12 selenium photovoltaic (PV) cells and a small pooley electric motor. Seven years later, the first solar car was driven. It was a 1912 model electric car converted to run on approximately 10,000 individual solar cells.
In 1981, Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins built the first solar racecar. In 1983, they became the first solar racers to cross a continent finishing the 20-day trip aboard Quiet Achiever. This breakthrough paved the way for more research and developments in solar car technology.
Two years later, a solar racecar called Sunrunner made it to the Guiness Book of World Records in California for traveling at the speed of 24.7 mph. By 1987, Tholstrup’s success in 1982 inspired him to create the World Solar Challenge. During this race, General Motor’s Sunraycer recorded an average speed of 42 mph.
Though solar powered cars seem to have huge potential, they are still bounded by some crucial factors. First, unlike cars with internal combustion engines like popular models by Nissan Yuba City dealerships have, a solar vehicle’s size limits the solar arrays/panels that can be mounted on the car. While the excess energy can be stored in batteries to operate the car on less favorable weather conditions, the battery adds extra weight and consumes space.
Unlike gasoline powered models from popular brands like Nissan Yuba City CA dealerships sell, solar powered cars are more expensive. Though sunlight is free, the cost of building solar arrays or panels is very high.
Lastly, gasoline powered cars from brands like Nissan Yuba City dealerships have are not bound by design limitations, especially in terms of aesthetics. For solar powered cars however, their size and weight have substantial bearing on their performance. PV cells made of glass are very heavy. Thus, the car’s chassis should be able to withstand this weight. The solar arrays should also be able to withstand vibrations to decrease possible damage on the panels.
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