Solar powered highway-capable commuter vehicles?
Question:
>>>> While this sounds great, you have to remember fossil-fuels need to be burned to create the electricity the cars run on (thus partly defeating the whole point of an electric car).<<<
The question is can you make a car that's both light enough (say under 1000 pounds) to be 100% solar powered and still have a top speed of around 80mph...and safe enough to be street legal.
The x1 prototype (http://wrightspeed.com/x1.html)... seems to get fairly close (1536 lbs)...but seems more bulky/heavy then needed (vs., say, a 4 seat go-kart with a smaller motor).
A more practically designed 1976 50mph "comuta car" (all electric), for example, uses no advanced materials and still weighs about 1500 lbs (not to mention is MUCH cheaper).
ARE ANY OF YOU INTERESTED IN OR KNOW OF SUCH A VEHICLE THAT'S BOTH FAST AND SAFE ENOUGH TO BE STREET/Highway LEGAL
Answer:
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Any electric car can be a solar-powered car, because any EV can be charged from a solar panel. Here's my favorite electric car on the market right now:
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http://phoenixmotorcars.com
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The Phoenix electric pickup truck - using new, advanced Altairnano batteries (based on research from MIT) - can:
-Travel up to 250 miles per charge (with battery pack expansion)
-Carry 5 passengers plus cargo at 95mph.
-Charges batteries in as little as TEN MINUTES.
-Has batteries that last 250,000 miles (never need replacement.)
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Yes, the car is real, and being built right now.
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Don't get caught up in worrying about fossil fuels being burnt by power plants. EVs are far more efficient than gas vehicles, and make far less pollution even when dirty fuel makes electricity. More details, and more EVs on this page:
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http://www.squidoo.com/cheap-electric-ca...
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from what I have seen
you could run a small fan or a 12 volt small Tv set from a solar panel
could charge batteries too
not for running toasters or irons or cars though
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