Could we use solar panels to power a car?
There has been a solar powered car race for at least the last 20 years. Queens University in Canada used to win it most of the time but competition is getting a lot stiffer. Most purely solar powered cars look very similar to one another. (Queens and Univ of Waterloo pics provided) The Aptera hybrid uses many of the same design philosophies as the original solar cars (minimize rolling resistence, aerodynamics, minimize weight) in an electric or electric hybrid. I believe it is the first car to go into full production that even comes close. There is also a lab in California working on a mini turbine hybrid electric car called the Velozzi that looks more conventional … looks kinda like a Ferrari.
i’ve always thought it could be done… but instead of a solar panel on top of the car… the entire body of the car manufactured of a material that absorbs solar energy… they already have roofing products that do just that… when i told someone that, they said you couldn’t drive the car at night, i said duh… that’s why electric cars have batteries… it would be recharging the batteries while it’s parked…
