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- Thread starter Mr. dB
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By the way, reading about the 2KW solar panel made me wonder just how short of a "solar powered" car that leaves us.
If you take the "Smart" car, which will actually seat two adults and a sack lunch (but has the lamest excuse for a transmission I have EVER seen), my best guess is that it would be usable at 60hp. That's what a British roadster had back in the 50s. That translates to about 44 KW. or TWENTY-TWO "Prius roofs." (Cover a flatbed trailer with cells, then see whether the car can pull it?)
Now, let's say we improve energy storage -- batteries, solar hydrogen for fuel cells, compressed air, high-speed flywheels; anything that can store juice and release it on demand. It makes marginal sense to cover the side of a building to get that 44 KW for "free" and store it somehow, maybe; but putting the cells on the car is a losing proposition for anything but accessories and ancillaries, such as the A/C.
Gasoline and diesel are damn hard to beat for high-density energy storage, especially if you prefer your fuel to remain conveniently liquid at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.
If you take the "Smart" car, which will actually seat two adults and a sack lunch (but has the lamest excuse for a transmission I have EVER seen), my best guess is that it would be usable at 60hp. That's what a British roadster had back in the 50s. That translates to about 44 KW. or TWENTY-TWO "Prius roofs." (Cover a flatbed trailer with cells, then see whether the car can pull it?)
Now, let's say we improve energy storage -- batteries, solar hydrogen for fuel cells, compressed air, high-speed flywheels; anything that can store juice and release it on demand. It makes marginal sense to cover the side of a building to get that 44 KW for "free" and store it somehow, maybe; but putting the cells on the car is a losing proposition for anything but accessories and ancillaries, such as the A/C.
Gasoline and diesel are damn hard to beat for high-density energy storage, especially if you prefer your fuel to remain conveniently liquid at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.
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