Everything You Need To Know About Solar-Powered Cars
A solar-powered car is a vehicle powered by the sun. When sunlight hits the solar panel constituting part of the car’s body, the solar cells generate a direct electrical current (DC) that is converted and stored in a battery to power the car’s motor so that it can travel a specific distance.
It’s worth noting that so far, there are hardly any solar-powered cars, at least not commercially available, that are designed to rely exclusively on solar energy. Electric vehicles, which can be recharged via electric charging ports, have dominated the space.
However, newer electric vehicles, such as the Sion by German manufacturer Sono Motors, now come with solar integration. The vehicle comes with 248 seamlessly integrated solar cells. The manufacturer of the vehicle describes it as “A spacious electric car with a range of up to 305 kilometers that charges itself through the power of the sun.”
How Do Solar-Powered Cars Work?
The overall design of a solar-powered car is hinged on the principle of harnessing the sun’s energy and storing it in the batteries that power the car. The website dedicated to solar, wind, and alternative energy Dasolar.com, reports that solar-powered vehicles are designed using a combination of automotive, bicycle, alternative energy, and aerospace technologies.
The solar panels comprise small components called photovoltaic cells made out of silicon mixed with other materials such as phosphorous and boron. These cells form two slices of semiconducting materials (positive and negative), which create an electric charge between the two layers.
When the sun’s energy knocks the electrons free, they are captured by conductive metal plates on the sides of the cells and transferred to wires like any other source of electricity, and eventually into the batteries.
Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assemblies for Automotive Photovoltaics
Wire harnesses and cable assemblies play an important role in solar vehicles. They are used to connect various components of the system, including the solar cable to the solar panels and other photovoltaics components.
Today’s sophisticated cars depend even more on wire harnesses and cable assemblies. These vehicles use various types of wiring harnesses for different applications, particularly for connecting all sorts of components and devices installed in sophisticated vehicles like solar cars.
For the wire harnesses to work efficiently and safely, they must be of the highest quality. This is where the wire harness taping machine comes in. The machine is used for wrapping tapes for wire harnesses used in automobiles, motorcycles, and aviation.
Proper labelling is another crucial element when dealing with the safety and efficiency of wiring in vehicles, including solar-powered cars. To do this part efficiently, car manufacturers need a quality wire/cable labelling machine. These machines are used to attach labels to wires, cables, hoses and other products. Car manufacturers often embrace these machines to save labor costs while increasing productivity.
An article published by The Guardian singled solar-powered and electric cars as “game-changers” as far as fossil fuels are concerned. According to the same report, “By 2035, electric vehicles could make up 35% of the road transport market, and two-thirds by 2050, when it could displace 25m barrels of oil per day.”
While many agree that solar and electric cars are more climate-friendly options, there have been questions about whether they are really 100% green.
Even though they produce zero emissions, solar cars still have an environmental impact. The batteries, solar panels, and other car components are manufactured using processes that cause pollution. These components also need to be transported by vehicles that produce pollution.
Even electric vehicles aren’t 100% green. The electric grid, which typically draws power from fossil fuels and other renewable sources, would have to be much greener before electric cars are declared emission-free.
Other environmental impacts include mining the raw materials used to manufacture solar cars. Extracting some of the raw materials such as cobalt and lithium is quite problematic. It has been linked to serious human rights and environmental concerns.
Therefore, the increasing demand for these raw materials may be counterproductive. It worsens the environmental footprint when countries and corporates don’t practice responsible mining.
However, solar-powered cars don’t directly emit any greenhouse gases. Therefore, they represent an ambitious option to significantly cut down or even eliminate the use of fossil fuels. Since solar panels also work silently, they eliminate noise pollution in the streets and neighborhoods.
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