Solar cell phones and automobiles? We can do it!?

Question:

I have 2 ideas, actually 3. 1) Make automobiles have solar bodies, so that in the daylight, the sun generates power to run an electric engine, which in turn, could charge batteries that the car could run on at night. 2) Have solar panels on our cell phones. Have the body of the outside of cell phones collect electricty from sunlight, so we'd never EVER need to plug them into power outlets. It's possible to do. 3) Make it a law world wide to have all homes, roofs, and buildings have solar panels on them. Since so much land and water is real estate, why not have all surfaces made into solar panels? It can be done. But, electric companies would have to buy power from us!

Answer:
The solar car has been done. But in order to be practical, it only leaves about 2 cubic yards of space for the passenger and any cargo. NO ONE is going to squeezing into a 6x3x3 area to drive around each day, and certainly not if they have kids. And that doesn't even begin to address truck shipping needs!

Rooftop solar panels have also proven to be a lot more expensive to manufacture, install, and maintain than the energy output they provide. A typical rooftop costs about $75,000 to install. It would take you over 100 years to recoup that cost. So it simply isn't practical.

Solar powered cell phones? I'm all for that! This way, most of the time when people want to use them inside cars and restaurants and movie theaters, they wouldn't work! You'd have to go outside and be in direct sunlight for them to work. THAT is a fantastic idea.

A much more practical solution is to require more people to ride motorcycles, by law. They do it on Bermuda and other island nations where traffic and pollution are a concern, and in places where there are large numbers of people like China, India, Europe and the rest of Asia, motorcycles are not only more prevalent but they are also more efficient. The typical 650cc motorcycle today gets between 40-mph and 50-mph. THAT is a REAL thing we can do today.

If the law said you could only use a motorcycle within city limits, you'd not only see a massive savings in energy use, but much better traffic, much better and more attentive driving skills (by necessity), and much more interest in letting people work from home.

Solar poower is not the wya to go. And, needs to be in a sunny part of the world. Solar Cell Phones you need again sunlight not all palces around the world has 100% sunlight so totally unpratical.

And, hate to say this my Harley emits more carbon monoxide than my Crown Victoria. I think the vehicle you are thinking is scooter. Scooters do not emit high levels of Carbon Monoxide. Harley's are the gas guzzlers of motorcycles. And, go to Rolling Thunder in DC you will see smog.

Solar cell phones and automobiles? We can do it!?

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