Comments on: Solar-Powered City Car Gets €2.8 Million

By: James Lovejoy

James Lovejoy — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 02:07:00 +0000

See the elf.
Electric assist enclosed “bicycle” with 350 lb. load capacity, 20+ miles range (without manual assist with an 8 lb. battery.) 7hr solar recharge, and 1 hr. from the outlet. And since the battery is only 8 lb. maybe just have a spare battery charging while you use the bike. Finally, 1800 miles per gallon equivalent and that’s without solar charging which can boost the mileage per gallon equivalent to whatever target you set.
Rather price at just under $5,000, and doesn’t meet my needs since I regularly transport my grand niece and grand nephew, and it’s a one person vehicle, but a vehicle in actual production that provides proof of concept for where we should go.

By: anti_banker

anti_banker — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:18:00 +0000

Does it have solar panels on the hood (bonnet) in addition to those on the roof? That would also help a little.

By: anti_banker

anti_banker — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:14:00 +0000

“a range of 20km” is extremely low, however, I guess some people drive less than 20 km per day so for them it would be ok – and that should be expected of a solar powered electric vehicle. A bicycle might be a better bet, only problem there is when it’s raining.

How about a pedal powered, 4 wheeler “quadricycle” fully enclosed, with roof? Or, how about pedal power being added to this vehicle above in the article. Might sound rediculous, but the mayor of London rides a bike to work every day and pedal power might be a nice backup, when the charge runs out and there is no sun shining. You may however need at least 2 people to pedal when the charge runs out as the vehicle is still relatively heavy. (That’s if this idea is even feasable in the first place). Obiously you would also have to stay less than 25-30 km from work.

Think about it, you could save time by not having to go to the gym everyday and loose weight in the process. You might get to work with sore muscles for the first few weeks, but you’ll get used to it after that. People climb in their cars just to drive 5 minutes down the road nowdays. No wonder we are so fat!!!

By: Ronald Brakels

Ronald Brakels — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 00:45:00 +0000

These cars work. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking they will appeal to everybody. But my grandmother could drive one of these and never need to plug it in to recharge. (Note: She does live in Australia.) She only ever drives to go to the shops to buy groceries and to the cemetary in order to laugh at all the people who couldn’t hack it.

These cars also work as a second car (or in Australia perhaps an eighth car) that people can use during the day or for shorter trips at night, and again lots of people would never have to plug them in. They’re the sort of car parents will buy their children when they are old enough to drive because they don’t want them hanging around the house and because they know that increasing the number of teenagers in a car dramatically increases the probability of an accident.

This car would handle almost all my own driving needs without having to be plugged in, but every now and then I’d have to stop and charge it. The good news is that it should take less than an hour to fully charge it from a normal European standard power socket. If the car was cheap enough I would buy one. (Although we really should change Australian car registration rules to make it easier for people to buy little “fuel savers” like this.)

By: Omega Centauri

Omega Centauri — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 02:27:00 +0000

I like the idea of adding panels to an EV or PHEV. However you’l only get some supplemental charging this way. Better than nothing, kind of a range extender, with how much extension you get being highly dependent on conditions.

One problem: current LiIon chemistries don’t like being in charged and in the heat for extended periods. Park in the shade -oops, no solar-charge!

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Let’s see…. Can’t park in ‘highrise canyon’, a parking garage, under a tree, where even a one story building would throw shadow half the day, east, west or north of a large vehicle, …. Easy to find that sort of parking spot in any city.

Designing a (safe) low weight, aerodynamic city car – nice idea. Put the door on the front, keep overall length short, and two or three could park ‘head in’ in a regular curbside parking place.

Put the panels somewhere so that they get all available sunshine – a better idea. Install wireless charging in the parking spots.

By: wattleberry

wattleberry — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:59:00 +0000

Whilst we envisaged this some time ago, the rapidity of its appearance, given the present state of the PV art, is surprising.Although its limited range shows the power supply so far is unable to ‘keep up’ with demand, the mere existence of such a vehicle must beget speedy improvement post-concept. Fantastic!

By: Neil Blanchard

Neil Blanchard — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:05:00 +0000

So, when you buy this car, it comes with a solar PV system? If that is the case, then *any* EV could be solar powered. And while this car might have 30% lower aero drag than other similar sized cars – I don’t think that having fewer doors is how it achieves lower drag.

This car has some similarities with Gordon Murray’s T27.

Neil