How solar roofs are being used to power electric cars

For about 40 years, car companies, startups and DIY enthusiasts have been pursuing the plug-less electric car, one that could wirelessly recharge via photons.

Every two years, engineering students from across the US compete in the American Solar Challenge, where around 10 schools cobble together a car designed to go as far as possible, powered exclusively by the sun. In 2022, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top prize with a car that looks sort of like a ping-pong table sprouted wheels. On its best day, the Nimbus made it an impressive 869 miles (1,398 kilometers), roughly the distance from New York to Milwaukee. Of course, there are just a few impracticalities to contend with: The Nimbus can’t carry a passenger, for one, let alone a haul of groceries.

The quest to develop a solar-powered car that is at once functional, useful and practical has stumped more than the young wizards at MIT. In February, Sono Group NV said it would abandon its Sion solar-electric car after failing to raise enough money for the project. A month earlier, Dutch startup Lightyear suspended production of its €250,000 ($264,450) solar car and filed for bankruptcy. (Both declined interviews for this piece.) California’s Aptera Motors, while happy with its three-wheeled solar-powered machine, has struggled to complete a crowdfunding campaign to get it into production.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Bloomberg

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

/0 Comments/by
You might also like
The UCLA engineers explore a new, viable application of solar cells that does not require large plots of land.UCLA engineers design solar roofs to harvest energy for greenhouses
The San Diego County company producing the car says their goal is to redefine transportation in a more innovative and sustainable way.Carlsbad-based solar car Aptera one step closer to hitting the road
The Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility is a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas.Don’t judge this solar car just by its size
South L.A. Ecolab is a $35M initiative that aims to transform a 4-square-mile area of South LA into a model of sustainabilityFirst of 140 solar roofs gets installed in South L.A.
Aptera is aiming to produce 10,000 cars by the end of this year, eventually ramping up production to 600,000 cars a year.This solar car will soon hit production and it only costs $25,900
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *