Solar Powered Vehicles
This blog is aimed at highlighting how solar powered Tesla Motor vehicles are important to the modern generation of motor vehicle users and more so the environment at large.
Research has shown that solar powered motor vehicles are very essential for the protection of the environment in a tremendous way. The petroleum powered vehicles have always increased the level of carbon iv oxide in the atmosphere thus leading to high level of environmental pollution (Capadona, 2012). The solar powered vehicles, on the other hand, have solar energy panels fitted on them thus they do not pollute the environment and more so achieve the high level of efficiency in the long run because solar energy is renewable and more so sustainable. The solar energy vehicles are very important because they use electrical energy for propulsion thus they are faster and do not pollute the environment. The Tesla motor vehicle company has therefore engaged in a profitable venture that is aimed at saving the human race from the incessant environmental pollution (Majero, 2015). It is therefore against this backdrop of information that consumers in Europe and the United States of America should buy the solar powered motor vehicles because of the benefits that they stand to gain in the long run. The fact that the solar energy is renewable is also an added advantage because it is economical and efficient in the long run.
The solar energy is providing an alternative source of power that is driving the economies, and thus people do not depend on petroleum from fossil fuels and other sources of energy that often end up in the pollution of the environment. The topic of solar energy use in motor vehicles and home appliances is of great interest because it is economical and assists in saving the environment from extreme pollution. The information is particularly important because of the rising cases of global warming that is endangering the lives of human beings and animals especially due to the ripple effect of the exhaust fuels from the vehicles across the world.
The book by Capadona which is entitled Feasibility of large, high-powered solar electric propulsion vehicles illustrates that solar powered vehicles are feasible and should be encouraged in the modern world for economic prosperity and more so for environmental protection purposes. The research is therefore essential because it runs in tandem with the book entitled The World of electric and solar vehicles by Majero (2015) that states that the use of solar powered motor vehicles should be produced and released into the market because of their commercial viability and their ability to reduce environmental pollution.
In conclusion, it is right to emphatically state that the solar powered vehicles are important and should be encouraged in the modern world. The solar powered vehicles help in the conservation of the environment because it the power is renewable, clean and cost effective in the long run.
References
Capadona, L. (2012). Feasibility of large, high-powered solar electric propulsion vehicles. Cleveland, Ohio: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Glenn Research Center.
Majero, M. (2015). The World of electric and solar vehicles. [Washington, D.C.]: Edison Electric Institute for the Library Grant Program.
8 comments on “Solar Powered Vehicles”
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Hi Chuer,
I agree with you about the advantages of solar powered vehicles, which is clean, cost-efficient, and economically beneficial. However, let’e think about the whole picture critically. For those who does not have so much sunshine like Californian, can solar powered vehicles work well and be promoted widely? Furthermore, if the sunshine is unstable and the electricity is generated from coal, would electric vehicles cause more pollution?
I enjoy reading your analysis!
Thanks,
Yi-Lin
Sorry, I did not mention in my above comment that I am a graduate student in MS&E-238A. Thanks!
Yi-Lin Tsai (MS&E-238A)
Hey Chuer,
Interesting article about solar powered cars. I agree that our resources are gradually depleting and we need to move to more renewable ones like solar power, but when it comes to vehicles, I feel that it is not economically feasible. According to this article (http://www.engineering.com/ElectronicsDesign/ElectronicsDesignArticles/ArticleID/14433/Your-Next-Car-Will-NOT-Be-Solar-Powered.aspx) it is going to be a very tedious process and the amount of energy it will take in maintaining the panel is more than that it will generate. Also, for cars, as one of the speakers in class said, it goes against our usual tendency to park the car in the shade rather than the sun.
Anyhow, as technology is growing, there might be a more environment friendly and efficient way to charge our cars.
Hi Chuer! I am currently a Mechanical Engineering student and current research into this area is whether looking at whether it is sustaining and feasible- as well as looking at the reliability which is something of highly importance especially with electric vehicles- which was of high dispute in the past. From an Engineering perspective, the area on top of the vehicle is way too small in order for it to be independently generate enough energy. Looking at current technology we are only limited to 20% efficiency- but this is only the most commercially viable. In the future as new technology is being invented this may seem plausible and it will be the most exciting, but currently electric vehicles have to focus on long term energy storage coming from externally charging them.
Interesting post, Chuer! I was actually part of the solar vehicle team as an undergrad and while it was an excellent engineering learning opportunity, I’m a bit apprehensive about the applications of the technology to actual cars today. First, our car used some of the most efficient solar panels available and they pretty much covered the entire surface of the vehicle. Despite this, the car could not weigh more than 300 lbs, or else there wouldn’t be sufficient energy to power the vehicle. Secondly, and more importantly, it could only fit one person. There are some solar cars designed by universities today that can fit two, but they are much more expensive and don’t have the same range as ours did. Hopefully, as solar technology continues to mature and more efficient solar panels become available, something like this will become a viable alternative to electric or gasoline-powered vehicles.
Hi Vulisa,
Great post. There is no doubt that solar energy is cost-efficient and cleaner than fossil derivate energy. During JP talk in our Leading Trends in IT class it became very clear that Tesla is not just a car company. What solution would you consider for countries with that doesn’t have a lot sunshine regularly?
Hi Vulisa,
I agree with you that we need to move to more renewable and many improvements are made, but when we ‘re talking about cars technologies has to do a lot more because the solar efficiency combined with advance design have allowed output of 180 watts, which is more than triple output of the previous solar roof. However since Panasonic has partnered with Tesla on its Gigafactory and since Tesla ha already developed an all glass roof for its Model S advance technology may come soon as we think
Thanks Chuer for your introductory blog post! I think this topic is very interesting!
Furthermore I think the key obviously too even think of solar panels on car rooftops would be research on and development of panels with significantly reduced weight and optimized aerodynamic properties. Of course Tesla has to focus on external charging technologies now but in the long run I think with efficiency optimised panels combined with smart cars mobile charging solar solutions would be a very interesting energy ressource. https://www.inverse.com/article/22698-solar-panels-moving-from-rooftops-to-cars Maybe it would be good to start with putting panels on the rooftops of trucks since the area is bigger than the one on cars.