Can solar EVs really provide enough power to fit the bill? The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/undecidedwithmattferrell03221 If you liked this, check out The Truth About 3D Printed Homes ua-cam.com/video/m46QekDm0oY/v-deo.html
Can you make a video about nuclear powered cars? I'm currently working on figuring out how this could actually work. I have found out a method that is possible but probably extremely expensive. The two contesters I have in mind are fission and nuclear decay energy sources. The question is also if it would be powered entirely by nuclear energy or work as a battery-nuclear-reactor hybrid.
Your "theoretical" calculations are way off- I always wonder why you do not involve a PV expert in your research. However, the conclusion is right, solar on a car is useful mostly for inner temperature control, battery health and such.
Being a pilot, I only drive to work once a week. My car sits in direct sunlight huge open parking lot for 4 days while I’m at work. I think solar panels would work great for my situation
This panel can put out close to 100 watts ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
If solar panels only added 5 miles a day, that would cover 90% of my traveling. They would absolutely benefit me and they’d give me the peace of mind knowing that if I ever was without my car for a few days, I wouldn’t get in my car and find the battery at zero charge. Just being able to charge somewhere that has no outlets or charging station is itself a huge relief. Solar panels don’t have to be the sole source of power or even the primary power source for a vehicle for them to still make sense!
@@PvtPartzz The new Electric Toyota has a solar roof that generates about 2-3 miles a day (if my math Is correct). That would probably be a great car for you depending on your driving habits!
@@justaguyfromreddit so life came from nothing? It takes 2 to reproduce, and your sitting there in human flesh with trees all around you that produce fruit for you to eat and water that you need to survive, with animals all around you and a sun that goes over your head everyday and a moon at night. I’m not expecting anyone to understand how God is but I trust him at his word, he is the great ‘I AM.’ There are promises in the Bible such as in Jeremiah that says you will seek me and find me when you search for me with ALL of your heart. If you want to find God, then seek him. Come to him and humble yourself, don’t demand he show himself like you have any entitlement at all. Many people believe so strongly that God or Jesus doesn’t exist, they even call others that do believe stupid and act harshly towards them, yet have the audacity to not even put the promises of God to the test or read his word and seek him. If they did, they would join the countless others who have testimonies from the Lord. The very fact that your alive and have all of this creation around you screams his existence. People turn a blind eye to God, don’t even seek him, and then go on and believe something that takes significant more faith to believe in and is also quite frankly stupid. But the Bible is correct again, satan has blinded this world. Go listen to some testimonies, humble yourself, and find out what his word really says. And then talk to him, seek him. Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Hell is real, you don’t get to do whatever you want and expect to get away with it. You need a savior. None of us are “good” people. Don’t wait until your on your deathbed to realize that. Repent now while God is giving you the opportunity. There is much we as humans don’t understand, the Bible says we see through a glass dimly, but God is real and there are many answered prayers, many miracles and many many testimonies on top of the evidence of him that’s all around you. Or you can ignore this and assume your right. It’s up to you. Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
I think solar panels would be a huge benefit for more people than we think. They may not increase the overall range by much, but they would decrease reliance on the grid for the average commuter if they spend more time at work than driving.
Exactly. However because of Covid19 lockdowns, once people got a taste of working from home, they didn't want to go back to the corporate glass tower to work. And who can blame them? So solar for cars makes even more sense, if the only reason many people drive is just to go to work. The rest would be buses and trains, and occasional leisure because a lot of people have difficulty driving or simply don't like it.
@@ZachariahMBaird Yes. The solar panel for the parking lot would be much more effective . For starters. You can use the energy, if there is sun and not just if someone is at work. It is also much cheaper using those existing standard solar panel than using special car solar panel.....
I have two comments about this. First of all, the numbers don't always need to make sense. If people want a cheap car, they'd buy a Chevy Spark. People are willing to pay for all sorts of upgrades on a car that don't pay for themselves. So, I think a lot of people would pay extra for solar panels on their BEV or PHEVs, even if the extra production cost was never recouped. Second thing is, it's probably not a great explanation to say how long it takes for a full recharge. In practice, that doesn't matter. What does matter is how many miles per day could you add to the car? I think approximately 10 miles is where it starts to really make sense. Some people literally only drive 10 miles per day or less on average. I'm one of those people. But even if you drive 20 miles per day, that's 50% of your commute by sunlight. Take a PHEV like the Prius Prime. It's rated at 25 miles per charge. But with solar, you might could get 35 miles per charge if you parked it at work in the sun all day. That could be the difference between driving your entire commute on electric power, or having to start the engine every day. So, 10 miles starts to make sense. And if that can be increased over time to 20-30 miles per day on an affordable car, then it's a real game changer.
Exactly folks need to look at this in terms of day to day overall use solar on cars makes sense and no one in their right mind is suggesting to just opt for only solar like of course we still would need ev charge stations etc
That is fine but I think people keep forgetting where they park their cars. I don't know anyone that doesn't park their car in a garage at home or at work. Not a lot of benefit from solar if you are parking inside so the overall ROI for the manufacturers may not make sense.
Not gonna lie, as wacky as the Aptera looks, that looks like an absolute bargain for the long term, based on just that info alone. In fact, I just looked at the Pre-order page for that, and $35,000 for a 600 Mile range battery is already looking like a stupid good deal. For comparison's sake, my 2015 Tucson has a range of roughly 450 miles on a full tank on a good day, at roughly the same cost, and to see that same kind of range on a EV ON PROBABLY A BAD DAY is a really strong deal to me. Pretty much my only question would be at what speeds does it operate the best at? If it's similar to the same 65mph that my Tucson does, then all bets are off at that point, personally speaking.
I think this is exactly it, for standard commuting this technology makes a ton of sense. The people concerned about hugely extended range are thinking about a relative edge case, most people don't go on massive road trips every weekend, most people do 99% of their driving to a handful of places within a few minutes of their house. And thats where this technology finds it's killer app
@@paulopaulo32str8 there are plenty of people who park out in the sun not every job has parking garages and not everyone has a garage also would make it a net positive to not park in a parking garage etc
The thing is, if the solar panels are cheap enough, what's the loss in having some solar capabilities in the car. Sure it will not be 100% grid free but maybe 5%. Everything adds up.
@@nalaka3488 no its better to do the math, the solar panels will have a repayment time. if that is shorter than the cars life expectancy then it is not worth it. electricity is not cheap (at least not everywhere) and the cost of panels is going down, the future of this technology is only getting brighter.
Well you answered your own question yourself: ”if solar panels were cheap.” Obviously everything would be perfect if everything was cheap and just worked, but that’s not how the real world works. A private jet would be even better than a solar car - IF they were cheap, that is.
You know what makes a surprising amount of sense? Solar powered parking lots! I did some rough math for my work based on charging with a 110v plug and the standard size of parking spaces and one way lanes. My work would be able to charge everyone’s car 32-40 miles/day AND sell enough energy back to the grid in order to pay off the system in about two years. Granted, I live in SoCal so I have a more ideal solar situation, but there’s still a good chunk of workplaces which could do this. And, as an EV owner, I can attest to the fact that 36 miles/day is more than you think it is….for me, it means only using public charging on Saturday instead of doing it Wednesday and Saturday! Edit: sorry for the confusion. I’m talking about constructing a pavilion over the parking lot which holds the solar panels and the cars park under.
This design is a bit weird: It basically gets punished for its main goal: providing parking space. But a parking car will lower the solar power harvested. For parking spaces in a work environment, cars will typically park during working hours which are unfortunately also the sunniest hours of the day. California has roughly 9 hours of sun per day, but 5-7 might be blocked by cars during working hours! Of course, if the parking lot is way too big and therefore many spots are usually free, that's another story. Same with parking lots mainly used during the night.
Having solar rooves over parking lots would have the added benefit of keeping the cars cool (less need for aircon to get rid of stored heat) and prevent all that light from turning to heat when it hits the asphalt. It should be law that all parking lots are covered in them...
@@pinguin1009 I'm sure OP doesn't mean literally parking cars on solar panels as that's utterly stupid. Of course you'll need a roof with solar panels..
@@mrboredj Yeh solar panels as shades, I genuinely don't understand why it's not done more. It's a win win. Don't get into your car that's the temperature of an oven.
The Aptera would be a huge hit here in my town, we get tons of sun all year, I'm sure a few hours on the sun would cover most people needs of transportation, it also isn't projected to be nearly as expensive as other EVs, it's limitation right now is that it's a 2 seater, probably they'll come with a 4 seat option if the first one takes off.
I feel like if they get to the slightly bigger and refined model after their first one they aren't going to be able to make enough of them. If they can make that 4 seat option with 700 ish miles due to a bigger car and better solar area they could be the next best thing. I would buy one in a heart beat especially for a commuter car for work and a trip every so often. I almost put money for their first car but id like to see it perform first and get the refined second model.
@@spro_halver8553 IT IS CURVED! Solar panels have to be FLAT! IN other word, the Aptera is NOT a good choice. Size is irrelevant as the optimum angle for a solar panel is exactly 90 degrees from the incoming light beams. In other words, if the sun is at 90 degrees up from the horizon (only happens at the equator), then the panels would be sitting parallel to the ground. The Aptera has curves. This means that at best you get SOME of the solar cells receiving optimum sunlight and only when the car is standing still. As soon as it moves, the angle changes on every single cell on the car. Thus, the best you can hope for something LESS THAN their optimum efficiency. For the added weight of those solar panels, you get very little return on investment. In other words, solar charging a car is a really stupid idea!
@@protoborg Solar panels don't have to be flat. Sure, the optimum angle is 90 degrees, but how many home roof-mounted solar panels track the movement of the sun? I've never seen one that does. You can't move your home to get the solar panels out from the shade of trees or nearby buildings, but you sure can move the Aptera. The weight of the solar cells is very little and the benefit of not having to plug in, particularly for those that don't have a garage (like apartment dwellers) can be huge.
@@spro_halver8553 But you can reserve one now for $70 to $100 and that's refundable. They will supposedly start filling the earliest orders this year so you would get yours in 2024 but that would be more than enough time to see if they delivered as promised before you completed your order.
The first thing that came to me while watching this, oddly, was... survival. In an internal combustion or electric vehicle, it's possible to run out of fuel or charge and be stranded (I imagine a long, lonely desert road somewhere in the southwest). But with a solar assist, one would have something like a lifeboat. Either the panels could operate crucial power systems such as fan, lights or AC for brief periods, or if one waited long enough, sooner or later it could power the vehicle enough to get closer to civilization. One might only be driving a few miles at a time at low speed, but eventually one would get there. Even in normal situations, I think this feature would be a selling point. If a car company could promise an EV that would never leave one stranded, it could overcome a major consumer barrier.
If it's light enough, you might be able to push it along the roadway or going downhill while it charges, getting you that much closer to humanity. In reality, though, people leave their cars in parking garages or left in lots that don't get full direct sunlight. We need a vehicle efficient enough that it can gather sufficient sunlight while driving so it's still pointing at full at the end of the trip; you'd only see it go toward empty when driving at night.
Yeah but at that point I’d rather just have external batteries that are more powerful, how long are you planning on surviving in just a car w/o getting food and water?
If you are really stranded in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure managing to limp 20-30 miles a day is going to be of much help. I mean you could walk that far.
I had solar panels in my sunroof on my VW Passat. They were used to run the interior blower when the car was parked. It was great, meaning that on a sunny day the fan was running, you could hear the speed change when there were clouds passing in front of the sun. However, all it had to do was drive the blower, it was an ICE car, but that was enough at that time (2003).
Back in the 90s, you could buy a gadget that would fit on top of a rolled-up window, with a vent and a small fan, powered by a small solar panel. They cost about $20, and cut the inside temps of my old VW Beetle by about 30 degrees in the summer.
If solar panels added a minimum of 10 miles/ day, I'd be happy. That would cover about 25% of my weekday driving needs and close to 100% of my weekend driving needs. Think of the cost savings over the life of the car
If youre doing this charging from your driveway anyway, it might be better to achieve 100% of your charging needs with an at-home solar setup, on the roof of your house or carport. I'm not sure how well integrated solar charging and EV port charging work together, it might be either/or for some cars, meaning if solar didnt achieve 100% of your charging needs, it might not be worth it. Depending on what model of the Aptera you get, and where you live though, that car can achieve up to 30-40 miles per day of charge off of purely 700 watts integrated solar. That would just about achieve 100% of your typical daily charging needs. With the full size battery pack as well, it can achieve 1,000 mile range off wall charging, if you need to go on a long trip. And since it achieves all that through aerodynamics, charge time per mile is pretty good compared to most EVs.
@@hatman4818 I agree, but with surface area already available on the car, might as well make it useful. I know it's a small amount of surface area and it might seem like a miniscule amount of power produced when looking at 1 day or even 1 week production. The total production during life of the car electric, however, would probably be very impressive. Also, it would be kind of like always having an extra .5 to 1 gallon of gas available for an internal combustion engine, without the risk of carrying a full gas can onboard.
Out of the 3 solar cars presented, I’d opt for the Sion. Relatively cheap, 2 way charging (home battery or charge other cars and make money), and decent trunkspace.
One really good solar panel use on a car I saw was the automatic AC system. So in a hot sunny day the car would turn on the AC(small) and keep the inside of the car relatively cool, or in winter (say it has no snow covering) the AC would heat the inside of the car.
@@alexdrudigmail It's a good question. It depends hugely on where you are. However, it also makes less sense in the winter because sun will heat the car naturally. having solar run a heater will probably only add 30-50% extra heat beyond the passive solar heating. Significant, probably, but not a game changer. I think the cooling is the real win here.
@@SemiMono "the sun will heat the car naturally" I had ice on my car for weeks because we only got 6 hours of sun during that time. All for solar and evs. Just seasons are different in different places
The vehicles that I'm most keen to see have solar added are EV school buses, connected to bi-directional charging when they're sitting at the bus depot between the morning and afternoon runs. EDIT to add the caveat that adding PV to the buses themselves would only make sense once all the viable roof space at the depot is used up.
@@stephentroyer3831 there are already pilot projects (in NY state?) with EV buses on bidirectional charging, so adding solar seems like a logical step... Though I would add the caveat that it would only make sense to add solar to the buses themselves once any viable rooftop space at the depot has been used for PV.
Seems like it would be more efficient to just install the solar panels at a proper angle at the bus depot itself. Solar panels on a flat surface will produce less power.
Agreed. That sounds like it has huge potential. I feel like most of the innovation left with solar is the innovation of finding new places where we can deploy it. You comment is a great example of that. Others that I’m sure we’ve all heard are combining solar with farming (agrivoltaics), covering water canals with solar, putting panels along the sides of freeways, etc.
@@wolfgangpreier9160 your comment brings up the elephant in the room (at least in the U.S.) - a great many consumers are buying huge trucks and SUV's, which spells danger for any person who wishes to use more efficient forms of transportation. Whether you are a walker, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or driver of a small car, large and heavy vehicles are a menace.
It is not compelling. It will be classified as a motorcycle. It can't pass car safety standards, or other standards. A lot of places will require a motorcycle license. It is a total non-starter for a commercial car. It might sell a couple thousand units at most.
One of the things that amazes me is that some car manufacturers manufacture hybrid cars which have 2 drive systems but none of them make a diesel/electric car where they have a diesel generator that operates at optimum performance at all times after warming up and the generator runs an electric drive motor in the same way the diesel/electric train locomotives operate.
That car from Aptera looks amazing. I can see some people not wanting one, because of how strange it looks, but it would be a status symbol for others for the same reason.
@@scottbreseke716 considering it would Essentially be free to drive, I'll take the occasional snicker. Can't be any worse than what those mimi or nano drivers deal with.
Aptera has thus far been a scam. The price is higher than great used options. They are not honest about miles/day solar. They don't account for derating due to their panel angles.
Hey Matt, where I live in the outback of Western Australia a Solar boosted car makes very good sense. We have very high sunshine hours and a small city to travel around. Renting transportation for the 600 km trip to the state capital or the one hour flight or railcar journey all make sense with the money saved from fueling up or recharging … many of us don’t need the speed we just need the utility of a handy cheap to run Car …
In tropical countries like mine india any solar car that advertise solar range say X will actually double the solar range to 2X in india. So it will make much much more sense to sell solar car in india, Australia etc.
@@anandsuralkar2947 of course true. You better put a solar cell on to your roof to get every day 9 to 1800 sunpower. Solar cells on cars its like solar freaking roadways.
Toyota Prius had this as an option to run the blowers to keep the car cool in a hot sunny day, that’s energy well spent for comfort and the panels only occupied half of the roof! I really hope toyota would bring this option back on their EV’s and Hybrid’s.
@@rogerstarkey5390LOL implemented 10 years ago. I understand people back then was scared of EV’s, now they are racing to make EV’s better but man I wish Toyota stuck and improved with that option.
As someone who has to wait in a vehicle while my kid is at appointments, I would friggin love a solar powered fan situation. I have a battery operated fan that I use to keep from having to run the engine on hot days.
Toyota did bring back the solar roof option outside the US, sort of. The Prius Prime has been available for several years with a solar roof option that can recharge the battery for a few miles each day. It's not offered in the US because the panel is not shatter-proof and that's required by US law. Or at least that's the reason I read a few years back.
Although this video is really well made, I do miss one essential thing: cars that have solar panels and are plugged in can also supply electricity back to the power grid. Essentialy the same as the solar panels on your roof when your car is plugged in.
Mat, about twenty years ago, during the beginning of hybrid vehicles, my late thermodynamics engineer dad thought solar panels would be wonderful for running the car's air conditioner to save overheating the engine on hot days in traffic jams. In southern NJ, where temps often graze 100 degrees farienheight and traffic is a nightmare, this was a frequent cause of auto breakdowns and huge, miles long traffic snarls on the freeways. Dad thought if the AC was replaced by a heat exchanger, the solar panels could work in cold weather too to defrost and heat cars, decreasing overall gas consumption. There are millions of existing combustion engine cars! Is anyone trying to retrofit gas engine cars with solar or EV features? Might make an interesting show. Reuse and recycling of current vehicles would be a boon to decreased CO2 emissions over new car production, creating potential green jobs for conventional mechanics and car-head enthusiasts. Even if the recycled cars use 1/2 the gas they do now, that would be a big win.
If the price was ok, I would actually love to have my car retrofitted with a solar panel. I'm a very infrequent driver (even more so during the pandemic and home office) and on more than one occasion my car simply wouldn't start because I didn't drive often enough and the battery was empty. I just don't see the use for defrosting. The car is usually frozen in the morning, so the solar panel would have to store the energy from the previous day somewhere and use that for running the heater. Combine that with our traditionally grey winters and there's very little energy available.
Thermodynamics engineer that can't put 2 and 2 of "cold weather" being no sunlight available and no heat to put into "heat exchanger" just brightened my day a little. Sun defrosts stuff allright on it's own, where it is available. Have you seen any frost during the day in your southern NJ? Ever spent a moment with your dad wondering why? Do I need to explain that sun heats it away? Or should I point out that in places where the frost and ice is an actual issue during the day - it is mostly caused by no sunlight being available, during the day? And how running a couple kilowatt at best AC is any sort of issue for a 100+kilowatt engine? By the way, normal-sized cars use about a third of gas compared to cars of a size americans think they absolutely have to drive.
@ Marjohn That question comes up with all kinds of things. Ditch the polluting thing now & replace it with the non-polluting version, or run it til it dies and then replace it with the non-polluting thing? Do the math: lifecycle cost, energy use, carbon & other pollution. You're replacing the old one at some point anyway. It makes no sense to keep it polluting for years more and then add the costs of making the new one. Ditch the old one asap and stop polluting asap.
@@BunjiKugashira42 There's places that get frost and get very little rain. NM is one of those places with a lot of sunshine in winter but with little clouds.
So very glad you included Aptera in this video. I live 13 km from work so even here in not always so sunny Nova Scotia Canada I would not have to plug in very often. Efficiency is their motto.
I've been suggesting this for about the last decade or so. I didn't realize that this technology was being applied to vehicles so long ago or that we'd come this far. Every day at work I would see all the cars sitting in the parking lot often basking in the sun and thought 'Why aren't we taking advantage of this?' I was envisioning either flexible custom shaped panels or some type of solar paint. I assumed that the cars would still need to either be hybrid or topped up via plug-in charging however it would still make a dent and utilize FREE energy. It's great to see the progreses in this field and as the technology gets better the prices will drop. We really need to start utilizing all of the energy that the planet provides more frequently and effectively. Many people struggle to pay for fuel and electricity to run their vehicles and homes. When in reality if we had started incoporating these technologies into most products years ago this wouldn't be nearly the issue it is today.
@DyesubDave The paint makes the most sense yet, including transparent cells on the windows, but Holy Shl†, why not cover the parking lot with a roof with solar panels on it, and draw people to your establishment by offering free charging while they're working or shopping there?
Years ago one of the major car makers had a car with solar panels to run the air conditioning while the car sat in the hot sun. I want to say it was Mitsubishi, but I can't find any info on it.
Could we "ground" destructive drivers that threaten us with "totaling" our vehicles by riding our bumpers, inattentive/lazy driving, refusing to brake sooner, and plain old speeding? I'm assuming that body damage to solar cars could easily make them worthless!
DyesubDave - You got your answer there in your 1st paragraph "FREE energy". What! the pheasants getting something for free and NOT pay us your masters? The evil rulers of this world prohibit that.
It’s a good idea, as like all ideas and concepts there’s room for improvements. I see it as a range extender, if it get you x amount of extra range then that’s less to be charged when plugged in. It all helps out in the long run.
I've noted for over a decade that the market for solar vehicle roofs would be places with lots of sun and a commuter mentality. I lived in San Diego where we had abundant sun year round, and most people drove 10-20 miles a day. The panels wouldn't replace plug-in charging, but could supplement it while parked at work. In that vein, the Aptera would be an ideal commuter car.
They can easily build small 100-125 mpg commuter hybrid cars they just refuse to do so...Example, small 2 or 4 seat hatchback like a Gen 1 Honda Insight. Use small fwd engine that could run off gas or much cleaner bio diesel (bio or fossil diesel), propane (like a propane forklift, just swap tanks when empty like a forklift driver does) or compressed natural gas. Add a rwd electric motor & smaller battery bank for rwd power assist boost or 100% electric city driving.Cover the hood, roof & rear window/tail with solar cells to help keep battery bank recharged. By making a smaller hybrid car with smaller battery bank it could be recharged off a standard 120V AC plug or quick 240V AC. Now you have a hybrid that can be fwd gas only (although slow/low power in fwd only) rwd electric only or awd for power assist boost & snow driving. That can get 100-125 mpgs with 1 gallon of bio diesel & fully charged battery. It's already been proven they can build small 100-125 mph hybrids. They just don't, I suspect because #1 car makers are mandated by governments. If they put millions of 125 mpg solar charge assist cars on the road. Governments would lose millions $$$ in gas/oil tax revenue & oil companies would lose profits from less fuel being sold. The powers that be don't even want you to get a partial recharge from solar panels on a car. A small, light, long bed hybrid pickup truck like a ford ranger or VW Van with it's hood,roof, truck bed topper covered in solar cells could actually get a free 15-20 miles sitting in a parking lot for 8 hrs recharging while you're at work.
In large cities, ~60% of commuters park in decks with no direct sunlight. Those that have surface parking still have a lot of trees that would degrade charging. I'm all for trying to find more efficiency, but picking up 1 to 2% more for the added cost is a joke, and really $170,000 for a car, seriously? As a former Tesla owner, I'll reiterate what I have said so many times before. If you want wide scale adaptation, focus on use. Make a "commuter car" that will go 120 miles, seats four, can recharge in 30 minutes, and costs less than $25k. Make a standard car that seats four that can go 250 miles between a charge that costs $35k, and make a grand tourer that seats four and will go 400 miles for less than $45k. If you can't do that, continued market penetration will slow given a consumer can buy a comfortable hybrid for $30k that will get 500 miles on a tank.
Why put it on the car? It's such a small space. You are going to get about .001 miles a day. I mean, until your roof catches on fire. Those things get very hot. The solar roadway caught fire.
@@michaelbrinks8089 Wow, you really believe that nonsense? Show us proof that 125mpg cars are possible but they "refuse" to make them. This is the oldest BS story that has been floating around since the internet started, and even a little before that.
The Aptera approach would be the most logical as someone who has done some research with the NA solar car competition in 2013. Our uni was planning to start a solar car team but we weren't knowledge enough to do Carbon fibre production and moulding. Hence, we have given up after design phase. It is true that reducing the drag and weight of the vehicle does help a lot to move the project forward. Using a high density battery is another key factor. In hub motor with a bike CVT is the conclusion that we had come up in the end of the design phase.
Shame, as carbon fiber work is 10 times easier than people think it is. You can get programs for the lay up , the only real hard part is the mould making, but that is the same for fiberglass.
@@ForeverNeverwhere1 Remember, that was in 2014 and prepreg carbon fiber was no where popular. As I did my master in 2017, CF has indeed becomes more common and easily accessible.
Get Tesla to cost reduce a four wheel solar powered version of an Aptera ultra lightweight car and that would really be a great solution. Three wheels, no thanks. AWD with maybe 9 second 0-60 would be perfect for most everyone.
The Sono Sion is super exciting for how un-exciting it is! Functional, with a familiar silhouette. Only available in one colour. And really practical for a family - that gives it hope of being more than a city car, because let’s be honest, cities suffer from cars. But the Sion is such appealing design because function leads, without being showy. It clearly takes a lot of science to achieve what these companies are trying. Bravo
Actually the SION is not "un-exciting". Matt just does not understand what is relevant in a solar powered car. If "Efficiency" was relevant, there never would have been a mass market for combustion engine cars. The SION was not designed for the US market. It's solar cells produce more than 15 Kilometers per day. The average distance one drives per day with his car in germany is 22 Kilometers. So this is quite significant. And in summer, the SION easily exceeds those 22 Kilometers per day by charging with the sun. Solar power is just too cheap to not use it. And the advantage to charge the car independant from a stationary charging station is also something, Matt completely ignores.
and let us just add also to this bulsh!t story that sono motors sales you - the real story true. 7:00 let us add more info to this. sono motors stole all the ideas from a single man that created all and the company. now sono motors stole EVERYTHING dont want to pay back the guy who invented EVERYTHING. just a side note!
I agree with you and Sil ence; the SION is an exiting car. What also should be mentioned is that it can be used to power your house or other things. Also it does not waste energy in AC/DC conversion if that's not needed. Last but not least it's exiting because of its affordability. I know the Lightyear folks want to make an affordable car but have chosen to make an expensive car first. In the line-up of EV's the SION is still the best proposition, except it's still not for sale yet. Hope they are going to make it once it's there next year.
The sion is so wonderfull with the little details like the integrated sockets so the car acts as a giant powerbank. Sono also offers a wall mounted battery to store extra energy.
@@williwillswissen80 those ideas to be specific all the ideas have been stolen and they are NOT the creators of this. all the ideas were stolen from the single man that created EVERYTHING and they don't want to pay him. this is the true story!
Great overview! We try to avoid driving with our still conventionally fueled car and actually don't need it that often and it's parked outside. As a familly we need a practical car that carries all four of us plus some additional stuff. The Sion perfectly fits our use case which ist why I reserved one.
Thanks Matt. I am working on getting solar for my home in September 2022. I have spent the last year reducing my power needs down from 2000KW per month to 600kw month. Now to get in line for installation. Next after that is an EV. I appreciate your videos & efforts. Thank you!
@@rogerstarkey5390 Hey thanks. It took 15 mos of waiting but then when things kicked in it was nice. I was scheduled for a June install for solar but it got pushed to Sep. Its been fun.
Hi! I live in an appartment in Greece. I consume 1MWh/year. I have 5x240Wp solar panels. Without them my consumption will be 2.5MWh/year. Is amazing from how many spots you can eliminate energy losses!
I have been a fan of adding solar cells to cars for a long time. Even if only to run the fan while parked on a hot day or trickle charge the battery on a cold one. The only disadvantage of solar cells on a car is the cost to effectiveness ratio. If it costs a lot and adds very little, then it's not really going to be worth while.
It's curious to me how solar is the only option on a car that seems to get this level of scrutiny in terms of cost benefit analysis. For example you could apply the same scrutiny to more expensive options like a better audio system or whether you want an all wheel drive option or not, but those have no basis on efficiency and are more or less benefits that you pay a premium for because you might value something like a heated steering wheel. I'd argue the same reasoning could apply to solar, where you're paying a premium for the added benefit of having a slightly more efficient ac system, or vehicle in general that would of course only have an added benefit over time, just like any other incremental improvement on any one system that normally goes unnoticed because it's baked into the new model year.
@@MrAlziepen This is an excellent point, it doesn't really matter if they don't add much in terms of range if it provides other benefits. A couple m2 of cheap solar cells might be just enough to increase the batteries lifespan a little or keep the cab warm/cool, benefits which don't really translate into added km per day.
A solar powered car in Denmark would go to the local store once a month when the weather is bad... Still if it is not too expensive, why not. Also just imagine the solar being used for air condition when the car is parked, so your car is much more pleasant to enter when it is really cold or hot outside.
A couple additional points: 1. Solar cells on cars unfortunately need to be under glass for most applications to stop theft. This use of cells under glass also reduces efficiency compared to panels out in a farm field or on a roof. 2. The cost-benefit wasn’t discussed but is huge if companies want people to actually pay for the solar panel option. If it’s a 10k option to add and would take 8 years to pay off compared to simply using a plug in charger that won’t go over well in the public. We all want to be environmentally minded but it has to make fiscal sense as well. 3. There is a paradoxical use case here. Most electric cars are stored in garages or apt parking structures, partially to protect the expensive devices from harm and theft. But these solar versions cost even more, but assume they will always be parked outside? I’m excited about future solar cars but they do have a lot more barriers than solar or EVs have on their own. Thanks for the great video!
For point 3: Not just outside. You'd want to put them in parking spots with the least shade possible. So you know that in the summer, it's going to be swelteringly hot in there, so you'll need to use the A/C a lot more.
In case you didn't notice, ALL solar panels in solar farms and on house roofs are under glass. No different to how they'd be on a car- they need the glass to protect them from damage (hail, for instance). The only exterior application of solar cells I've noticed not under glass is on solar challenge vehicles used to race here in Australia. He mentioned thin film solar cells used on a truck- thin film cells produce about half the power of the panel types usually on houses.
I built two of those! When we toured the car at shows, events, etc., I NEVER suggested to attendees we believed solar powered cars would be an actual thing. It was a demonstration vehicle, the design and construction process of which was solely to advance the thinking of emerging minds in addition to promoting green energy.
Which two did you build? I'm personally quite familiar with solar cars from all around the world so I'm genuinely interested. By the way, if the Aptera specs are legitimate, it will be able to get an average of over 30 miles a day in a sunny location.
As a commuter from home to the office, I could have utilized solar panels on the car by parking it in the sun during my office hours. I hope eight hours of sunlight can drive the car for an hour. Even if the efficiency is less than this, still it will be useful as I have to charge my car less frequently.
Wrong. It doesn't actually decrease the amount of recharging you have to do as the solar panels do not actually make much difference to the time required to recharge.
@@protoborg for DC fast charging, yeah, batteries have a limit to how fast the energy storage electrochemical reactions can occur. Cant charge faster than that. But for 120 volt level 1 charging, solar power (which will work both while parked and while driving) may result a substantial reduction in charge time, Because A: solar charging and level 1 charging at the same time is more power. And B: some solar energy input already happened while driving. Solar power could be the difference between weither or not level 1 charging is enough to meet daily driving needs. I'm very interested in level 1 charging, because if it's sufficient, then the only charging infrastructure needed is a sufficiently long outdoor rated extention cord. Every plug outlet + parking spot combo becomes the equivalent of a gas station, while also being a parking spot. Ordinary parking spots become gas stations. Even if it just ends up being supplementary. With its supplementary solar and extreme efficiency, able to travel far using little energy, I could see Aptera as being the king of level 1 charging.
Even if it's not super efficient, and can't fully charge the car everyday. The ability to have a permanent trickle charger on the roof of a car seems like it would be worth the money. Especially if the options were regular roof, solar roof for $500, or sunroof for $500(i never liked sun roofs, dealt with leaking problems in the past). Even if the solar panel will only give an extra 5-10 miles over the course of 8-10 hours chargIng(while at work), that would give enough charge to get back home if not being able to plug-in at work. My ideal vehicle right now is a plug-in hybrid minivan, with a solar roof and hood. The solar roof providing additional power would also extend the range when inside using electronics, etc for family trips. Also for those rare instances when there's major traffic jams and people running out of gas/electricity. If you're sitting there stuck you'll at least know you have something 'trying' to top off the batteries
Charging 10 miles of range at home takes about 3.2 kWh, which could only cost me about $0.50. It would take over 3 years to pay for itself. A more realistic cost for those panels on the car is something like $2,500 though, not $500, in which case it's at least 10 years payback.
Love your videos Matt. The effect of having every electric car made, equipped with partial solar power would be tremendous. If one car can get 5 Km’s of range per day imagine what the 126,000 cars sold this year alone would do for the power grid. Every percent of efficiency counts, especially so in an electric car future. If every car was just 1 percent more efficient it could offset billions of dollars of construction costs and eliminate the need for entire new generating station(s). The math works out and I would love to see you follow this line of thinking through. Once standardized into the manufacturing process, like the Light Year, the benefits to the individual driver would also become quite obvious and you could avoid entire “charging days” per year.
The future of solar powered vehicles is just getting started. I work on one of those cars you mentioned in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and our design shares a lot of similarities with the LightyearOne but with about half the weight. We're projecting 1000km of range just with the solar+52kwh battery, versus cars with similar batteries that can get anywhere between 500-700km of range. Solar vehicles are just one step in the right direction to the future of transport. Even just comparing the solar cells on our car made in 2021 vs those made in 2018 there is an impressive improvement in efficiency (from about 22% - 24.3%). One of the things I do notice with people talking about cars of the future, is that they are always asking redundant questions. We need to rephrase the way we look at transport problems from "how much battery capacity" or "how much can it generate" to "how can we save energy" or "how can we save material". By answering those questions not only are we more sustainable (less batteries for same range that need to be disposed of) but we can extend the uses of our current/old technology and even reuse it. A good example would be in heavy transportation where, by redesigning a truck to be more aerodynamic, we save more fuel. Plus, when we eventually turn trucks electric, their range is more viable even without technological breakthroughs in battery and motor technology. The less resources we use to achieve the same goals, the better the world will be.
So in the US, when you add all the weight required for safety standards, giving a protective frame around a vehicle I just don't see it in the US. Maybe other countries. I had a Geo Metro back in the 90s that I bought in 1994 or 1995, and it got about 45 mpg. Then new safety standards came out because small vehicles or sedans were getting crunched by trucks and SUVs, and the next year vehicle dropped down to about 33 mpg. I know this because I rolled the vehicle around a turn where it had been raining and I had no idea since it was night, went into a ditch, hit something in the ditch which flipped my vehicle and put me back on the road, upside down. The vehicle was totaled, and insurance got me a new one from the next year. It was the same specs basically except the curb weight went up because of the reinforced framing. And this is STILL causing small econo cars to get pathetic gas mileage in the US compared to the 80s where a Honda Civic could get you about 50 mpg. Bigger cars get about the same mileage as econo cars.
Just fyi, they need to be built so trying to steal these panel ruins it. People are doing a lot of damage to ice cars stealing gasoline and catalytic converters. Like 1.5 to 2.5k plugs 1k for deductibles and rental car.
EV’s are a supplement not a replacement. You have the expectation that people curb their desire to be free to travel nearly nonstop because of the inherent limitations that exist with EV. Two people doing road travel would be forced to stop for hours if we only had EV’s whereas with a petroleum vehicle it’s minutes. You mentioned heavy transport- and while Federal law requires those engaged in heavy transport to be out of service for hours, which could coincide with recharge times, it prevents team drivers from meeting delivery deadlines commonly associated with the commercial transportation industry, ie, good chance overnight shipments would disappear with mandatory implementation of EV’s. Instead of there being such a push to inhibit travel, people such as yourself should concentrate of developing technology to supplement the need for wood products so we can restore the earth’s natural air filter- or even for manmade air filtration. You could also be focuses on requiring industrial operations to sequester its greenhouse causing pollution. Airplanes don’t have to meet “green” standards- why not? You may be ok with being herded into an urban environment, but I, along with millions of others, are not.
For me in the UK my energy is now £400/month. It’s set to increase in October. Although a lot of that is due to the daily standing charge, as I work from home, I’d love it if after a week or two my car had fully charged. They should all come with trickle solar panels built in.
Panels can drive things like in-car phonecharges or the car alarm, it's just about extracting unused potential energy to extend the excisting capacity of a vehicle.
When I think of solar panels on vehicles, I invision that they would be supplemental to standard plug-in charging or assist in long distance driving. I never really thought of it as the sole charging source. Now a solar generator on your house along with a supplemental system on your car would be ideal.
Keep in mind, especially with the last one, that cars aren't just to get a person from point A to point B. You gotta get groceries, drive, your kids and their friends, take a bunch of luggage on a trip, etc. So designs that diverge too much of that to optimize range end up far far less attractive than a compromising design
Doesn't seem to stop Miatas, minis, and other 2 seaters from selling. I couldn't see an Aptera as the only car for a family. However outside cities with good public transport, very few families in the suburbs of the US with more than one working member have just 1 car. I am seriously considering an Aptera as my next car. 99% of the time I am driving alone in my car. Why haul around the extra ton of steel (or batteries) of an SUV, gas or electric? My wife has a hybrid SUV that is great for bringing home the TV, or taking road trips.
Hi Matt, great video! When calculating solar generation, it's really useful to calculate the energy per day using 'peak sun hours' in your area. Then you just have to convince people to park in the perfect unobstructed location in their area, and have the car parked facing the right direction..... might be OK for a top off charge at this point..
I used to live in Menlo Park within walking distance of my work. My car sat idle in strong direct sunlight typically 6 days a week at least. I would never have had to worry about charging even with moderate solar panel coverage. I think this is the case for anyone with a car-free commute and outdoor parking.
I still think that there is value in having solar on vehicles, like any Tesla or similar vehicles. The charging of the 12V battery system for accessories and the like still has some draw from the drive battery. If we could lessen that load by charging from solar, that would be great. Also, ventilating the cabin if it is parked in the sun on a hot day would be great. Adding miles to the drive battery would be great, but would only be a last benefit and even if you could add a couple of miles in an entire day, that isn't horrible if you're meeting the other needs.
@@Grauenwolf Panels are heavy, but they don't have to be panels. We put them in materials that are heavy to offer protection. They would be integrated into existing components, including glass, in a way that looks attractive (to some). I will add that on traditional ICE vehicles, the power cost of running the alternator to charge the battery is in the 10% ballpark... so it is likely somewhere approaching that for EVs.
@@Grauenwolf The ones made out of glass panels for houses are heavy; that's true. However, the solar cells themselves are thin featherweight wafers. Google some about solar powered planes to see how light they can be. One solar powered plane traveled around the world!
If you go away on holiday or only use the car once a month or go camping the car will slowly bring itself up to full charge. I personally think electric cars in their present form are a STUPID idea. Consider the scalectrix toy car system put two low voltage tracks on the road a tracking system that keeps two pickups on the tracks. No need to have batteries exept for short sections. transmitting power over distance is done by a higher voltage parallel system. Also no land should be getting used for solar panels I would like to see small panels mounted on beside and over the road self constructing gantries. I call these things TREES.
as I live in the Caribbean those numbers for peek conditions seem real cool plus I live on an island so the ranges are not too bad maybe my second car should be EV I think it would work out well great video covering the ups and downs or the market really put my thoughts into getting one for sure now.
Great video. A few things I have found that you might have missed or left out: The company that makes the Lightyear 0 are overcharging for this model in order to fund research and development of a sub-$30,000 mass-production vehicle. The Sion also will allow you to use it as a battery to store solar power from your home, power your home, or sell power to other people for their home or EVs.
Thank you for this update on the 𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 company's plans, as well as a few of the added benefits of the 𝙎𝙞𝙤𝙣. Both these are cars that I might consider buying if they even became available in Australia.
I swear GM initially said they’d have solar panels on the Chevy Volt that would give you 20 miles of range over 8 hours parked outdoors - enough for your commute home. Never happened. Anyone who parks their Tesla outside would love to get more range by just parking. They could even be partially transparent so you could still see a little though the roof.
If nothing else it would make a useful backup to get you those extra couple miles to a charging station if you flatlined the battery - the equivalent of the walk of shame with a jerrycan of gas for a conventional car.
Yes, but if the panels added $5,000 to the cost of the car to generate the equivalent of $1.40 a day of electric, it's going to be 10 years before it pays for itself.
I continue to think ubiquitous stationary solar panels + batteries at a scale to rival daily oil production are the way forward. The only really compelling use-case I can think of are on off-road / camping vehicles. For example, if Mercedes or Tesla ever made an electric Class B RV and absolutely covered the exterior with solar panels, you couldn’t drive in perpetuity, however, you could camp in perpetuity.
It's important to keep in mind that ideal conditions for solar recharging are sub-optimal conditions for battery longevity. Heat is one of the main killers of battery range over time, so it makes leaving the car outside in full sun less appealing. We should factor in the drop in efficiency needed to properly condition the battery of a car sitting outside in full sun during the summer when doing calculations.
I wonder if a even running some fans could actually improve battery life, though solar charging. Imagine putting your ev car in work parking lot and instead of hurting the battery life due to the hot sun and concrete. Instead the car ran cooling and still added 5 miles to your range. Though we are definitely on leading edge of solar. So can’t wait till we get solar to the point of outdoor electric devices not having solar as old fashioned.
I think it all depends on each person's needs, if I was commuting everyday for miles to work I would just sit and wait a decade or two for the technology to improve, but there are many people with different kinds of jobs that would already benefit a lot. Me for example, being a musician I would only need to use the car on weekends to get to the gigs and bring all my equipment (that would be impossible to walk around with), but on a daily basis I would mostly use public transport. Imagine all the seafarers in the world too, they would drive to whatever port and park their cars for weeks or even months in some cases while working onboard. When they come back from the trip their car would be fully charged each and every time. Even tourists that park the car in airports for a week while on vacation....The list goes on and on
Lot's of parking lots on airports are (underground) garages. Which will result in 0% charging... So it's not perfect (yet) by a long shot. Parking under a tree? No charge. Parking in the shade of a building? No charge. Parking in a garage? No charge. Dirty roof? Low charge. Once solar panels have double or triple the efficiency it gets more interesting.
The way I see it, it is better to get even a small amount of energy via the sun because that adds up with all of the cars parked during the day (some people still have to go into the office or factory), but it might also help alleviate some of that rang anxiety. Even if it does not actually help that much, picking a parking spot that has full sun while you eat if there is no charging station might might help your mind get over the fact that you are not charging quicly off the grid. And while transparent cells are less efficient, I imagine they generate some power. Yes, it might be just enough to power a nintendo switch on the go. But I would rather have 18 watts than 0 watts. But, that is just me. Still, a great video. I have been wondering about something like this for a bit.
I'd say it's best for vampire drain Just ensuring that something like the 50 watt drain in old leafs doesnt accidently kills the battery would be well worth it
I said this with Jason’s video a while back, but solar panels being on the roof should be looked at as a way to augment range and to earn back range while they aren’t in use. Even 6-7km of extra range earned back while people are at work and the car is sitting there in the summer adds up very quickly, it also has the added benefit of taking more load off the electrical grid and making regular charging less frequent. They are a passive benefit to BEV that make them more practical and would go a ways to easing range anxiety. Especially for those of us in colder climates who worry a lot about parasitic loss due to the cold. Hell even modern cars can benefit as many suffer from parasitic drain from all the modern technology, solar panels could offset the need for a battery tender if it’s not driven for a week or two.
@@MrGamelover23 Not really excessive. Sometimes you need the air on if you have a child or dog inside, but don't want to leave the car running. Could be useful in that circumstance.
I've been watching Aptera closely for years. I remain cautiously optimistic about their business, they look great on paper, and interviews with their engineers give me confidence, however the car itself has never released crash test safety data, nor basic things like how 3-wheeled suspension makes people car sick or not.
That's what I was thinking.. A quick lookabout and apparently they are making good use of materials and intend to do full crash testing. I have to wait and see on that one. Too many people abusing hemi-Chargers that might plow into me to take it on faith. Over time though, it's possible this could be a winning combo if cars overall start to weigh less. At the moment, some EVs weigh 5,000 lbs (overcoming range issues due to weight by adding more weight in batteries). If the prevalent solution becomes lighter cars, Aptera's type of vehicle could effectively become safer (assuming it's not quite as durable from the get go).
They are doing full safety testing soon despite not legally being required; this is normal since their is no point in safety testing a prototype - it needs to be a production intent build. Crumple zones, air bags and a roof strong enough to hold ~16000lb (2 elephants). Based on their track work with the beta vehicle the suspension seems solid - not sure why you would specifically expect 3-wheelers to cause car sickness.
I like the idea of even slapping them on a hybrid, the added benefit of extra power is useful. Even if youre stranded just wait a bit and it should give you enough range to at least get off the interstate and to a charge station (3ish miles im thinking)
Probably worthwhile in sunnier climes but in northern Europe I doubt whether the additional cost and weight would make it viable. The rooftop array on my house has generated enough to run a lightbulb over the past week 🌧️☹️
The thing is the solar panels work wherever there is sun, so it is effectively a always with you slow charger. Which has some real benefit for dealing with range anxiety since it provides another hedge for dealing with running out of power.
I'm sorry. You lose. Please play again. Unless you are prepared to put your car on a rotating platform for a week, you are NOT getting any actual benefit from solar panels.
@@protoborg Wrong. Is a home with solar panels on a rotating platform for a week? No? So the roof mounted solar panels don't provide any benefit either? Oh dear. You better go educate those solar engineers.
Hi Dwight. Spot-on. Like carrying a spare can of gas in the boot so you don't run out and have to push the flivver into Joe's Gas Station. Well, the wife pushes, I steer. Cheers mate, P.R.
It has been my dream to have a solar powered car for over 20 years. I remember seeing a cool looking one as a child that looked like a wing from an air craft.
Completely solar powered will only work on the scale of bicycle construction vehicle weights. People have used recumbent trikes with a solar panel roof and a 250 watt hub motor. Some who have travelled long distances towed a trailer with another solar panel on. They would have had a larger motor- possibly 500 or 750 watts.
Yes I WOULD like to own a solar powered car - particularly the APTERA offering. Because I rarely travel more than 10 Km per day on average, this type of car is the classic 2-seater, go anywhere, mom & pop retired folks car. I REALLY like the huge flat space in the rear that can substitute for a tent at a pinch. Provided I leave it out in the weather and wash it once in a while, I would personally never need to charge it. Think of the strain on electrical reticulation that is "removed" for those that still want an EV but travel vast distances - every month - if 'high adoption' is achieved by those who find the Aptera energy profile suitable. Like your videos Sir. Keep on truckin'.
would be great for long-term parking no need for charger on vacation. I have this problem with my Tesla all cheap parking have non charger. so i have to take the expensive parking with outlet at Airport
I think the answer always comes back as, what is the average cost per KWh over the total lifecycle of the vehicle compared to the average cost per KWh of stationary charging stations. I think the answer is always going to come back that it would be cheaper to invest in the stationary storage efficiency (i.e put the same money into stationary solar panels with battery storage). This might change if the stationary storage gets taxed to pay for roads and maintenance, but right now I think it’s a sales gimmick. It’s an expensive way to get a little more range on a long trip and would only be the case in sunny weather. I’m interested if ion collectors would provide a more cost effective solution under more operational conditions. Special ion collecting paint layers for wind, ion collectors on grills, static electric capture for tires and shocks. There are so many interesting possibilities.
In short: solar panels are expensive. A car isn't large enough to get all of the power it needs. Trying to wrap a car in panels reduces the effectiveness of the panels. You just need more surface space than you have on a car. It's far cheaper and more effective to put solar panels on your garage or home and recharge the car from energy stored there. And that's not even considering when a car gets into an accident and those expensive solar body panels need replacing. Or just the dings and scratches of air moving over the panels when you drive. Or pebbles. Or hail. Etc. Plus solar panels add weight, to an already heavy electric car thanks to the battery. Solar-powered cars are a bad idea until the tech improves significantly.
I've watched several videos about the Aptera in the past few days. It's a very interesting approach. I really hope they reach the production phase and that the vehicle delivers the numbers that are being projected.
Could prevent you from getting totally stuck: once your range gets near zero, just pull over into an open spot, let the car solar charge for a while, then drive slowly to the nearest charger. Not ideal, but you’re mobile…
I look forward to increased efficiency of solar panels. Another thing that might have an impact would be 100% self-driving cars. If it were very reliable, you could utilize the space of the windshield and windows as regular solar panels to charge the vehicle. Even without that, you could have a flexible screen solar surface that extends while the car is parked to utilize the window space for solar ... and keep the car a bit cooler while parked.
Transparent solar is a thing now too which could be viable for cars. I am also seeing articles of newly developed solar which has increased efficiency, alongside new battery technologies.
To me, the biggest downside to a solar-equipped car is that it would incentivie you parking it in in the sun on a hot day, rather than parking it in the shade. This could lead to increased wear and tear on the car, everything from the paint, to the interior, to the battery pack. So I'd be more excited about a carport with solar cells on it that you plug the car into. Perhaps it feeds into the grid when the car is not present, or into the car when the car is plugged in (I am lucky enough to live somewhere that has net metering). Where a solar-equipped car would be a net benefit, IMO, is when you have to drive it in the sun, or when parking it in the shade isn't an option for some reason.
This is really good - wondered about the possibility of having solar cells on a car to power it. I was also wonder how much more expensive it would be to fix a solar panel based part if something happened - like, for example, a collision
That is a very important concern - ease/cost of repairing. This is something that would matter, like if you get the car 2nd hand, whether or not you can cost efficiently work on or replace the existing panels. That would go a long way in reducing ownership costs overall and make the cars practical.
You don’t need a solar roof on your car, if you already have a large solar array on your home’s roof that: 1. Powers your home 2. Packs excess energy into the home battery 3. Charges the car with excess when the battery is full 4. Feeds what is left into the grid to make you money
Basically what I was thinking. I telecommute, so my car sits outside my house all day. It would make more sense to stick a car-sized solar panel + requisite electronics next to where I park instead of carting the panels around when I drive. Cheaper setup too. Your model works better, is larger, and requires more battery storage (but not gobs), but would be better for someone who has to park their car at work all day. Likewise, I'm not the best target societally since I don't drive as many miles a week anyway. So much comes back to more efficient/less costly energy storage and how big a gamechanger in that segment would be for things like home solar.
What about people who live in their cars? It might be nice if most cars could someday affordably heat and cool themselves to some extent using solar energy.
I think they could succeed in using solar to free a driver from using high speed chargers on a regular basis, basically only on long trips. By trickling in power for a few hours while the car is parked at one's job, you might be able to more easily get away with slow charging overnight at home. That could prolong battery life.
Panels that can extend out while the vehicle is parked would allow a much larger surface area. Like VW Electric Van with solar awnings on both side would get you some pretty significant usable space.
Sounds like a great idea and solution, rather than all these negative no hoper's comments. It only needs someone to implement it though. If I was an engineer I'd definitely give your idea a go.
@@jayvlugt3309 it actually makes me a brilliant decision maker. Because I can assess the feasibility, cost, implementation, manufacturability, efficiency, and impact of ideas like this very easily. Instead of just being a common peasant who thinks bad ideas are brilliant without thinking about every aspect of it 😉
Great video once again Matt! For the moment, it seems that the best option if you want a mix of electric vehicle and solar is to get an EV and get solar panels on your roof for charging ☀️🏡⚡🔌🚘
I agree, but one thing that bugs me is I usually charge my EV while I sleep at night, but my solar panels peak during the day. So to actually use my solar to power my car I would need a big battery at home to store the solar and then transfer it to my car later. This adds an extra AC-DC and then DC-AC conversion, each of which adds equipment cost and several percent of energy conversion losses. (In total solar generates DC, the built-in inverter converts to AC to send to the grid/power wall battery, the power wall converts to DC to go into the battery, then to AC to go back into the house/car, and the car converts back to DC for its battery.) Putting the solar directly on the car can cut out all of the DC-AC-DC losses (and equipment costs), leaving just the DC from the solar panels, a DC regulator to manage the input to the batteries, and the batteries themselves. (A nice option once house batteries are mature would be the ability to hook up directly to DC solar and provide a DC output for car charging, but right now I believe they are only set up for AC-in AC-out.)
@@yttriustelluri Great explanation of the main issue with charging your EV with solar! What if I tell you that this nice option already exists, this is what we bring to EV users with our r16! 😉
I think it would be helpful in a disaster, or enough to cover your commute. I don’t think filling up the battery from empty on solar is necessary, just topping it off.
I live in a small rural town and work approximately a mile from my home. I ride my ebike to work as often as possible, but rain/snow/etc make that less than half of the time year-round, and I'd love a more robust option to round out the rest of the year and to make longer trips on electric power an option. Though I would actually prefer something more exotic (it's a draw for me, not off-putting), even the "slapped on as an afterthought" example that only gives 2 miles of extra range a day would actually fully charge what I use most days. Even for that model, I would only need to plug it into my 110v garage outlet once or twice a month. I know that's an unusual case for most Americans, but I seriously doubt I'm unique.
To accommodate solar-paneled cars though, businesses will need to reserve roof-top parking spaces for such solar supplemented vehicles. In some businesses there are open-air lots, but many have closed or high-rise lots which effectively would eliminate the value of the expensive solar augmentation of the vehicle.
Since most people wouldn't want to park in the sun, it shouldn't be that difficult for the top level of parking garages to be used by vehicles with solar roofs.
I’m so glad you are encouraging people to learn more about solar engineering. We MUST invest in these young solar technologies and technologists. I’m going to check out the companies you mention!
I feel like focusing more on how to harness solar energy more efficiently would be the key to revolutionizing the whole solar power automobile industry. But that will come with its own set of limitations to it.
@@andresmolinavillarino3312 actually there is anotjer video on this channel, where a guy invented this new material that's more flexible than the current solar panels and has much higher efficiency. You can look it up, I was also amused that just when you think something couldn't happen, somebody does it. That's what interests me about science and curiosity 😋
That was my first thought on seeing the thumbnail. For solar on cars to work in any small way at all, it's still got to be via a total rethink of the automotive form factor, just like Aptera. And even then, I don't know. And I don't expect sudden, insane leaps in PV panel efficiency that'd change that.
@@laloajuria4678 I agree its not for everyone but for those of us who appreciate efficiency it is the holy grail of automotive tech. Check it out, it is larger and roomier than pictures suggest.
My current roadblock for getting an EV is that I live in an apartment, and have no say over getting a hookup in the parking lot. As I drive maybe 100 miles a week (most of it on one weekend day) a solar option would work really well for me.
Great video, thank you for that. I would have loved to learn more about what actually sets designs "from the ground up" apart from the more conventional cars with just slapped on panels. The difference in numbers seems staggering, yet the "how" doesn't really come through. Keep up the great work!
i would suspect that the majority of that difference is weight and air resistance optimization and of course maximizing surface area (and minimizing shadowing over surface) both of those cars are relatively small and very curvy (in the case of the aspera im not even sure if it has capacity for storage) essentially - if you half the mass you half the energy needed to move it, which doubles the range your available energy will get you (in an idealized szenario - real world is not gonna be that simple or optimal, but the core idea holds) that of course makes the small amount of energy gained from solar cells on such a car more viable
Another thought for solar panels is the cost of repair from a “fender bender” that does damage to the panels. It would seem the repair cost would double or triple a normal repair.
@@michaelfried3123 I bet there were people that sounded like you do now when the first car came out. Solar is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce as time goes on. You'd also be surprised just how much gets damaged on fender benders these days: AC, sound equipment, power windows, camera lines, etc.
@@michaelfried3123 1885 is widely regarded as the year the first "practical" car was invented Economic inequality was massive back then. Cars didn't become widely affordable until the 1960's. Obviously, most people couldn't afford cars back then. You honestly look at that history and don't think it very very likely that people were saying "No one can afford that"
One thing I've thought of is why not utilize the energy of the tire rotation to charge the batteries. Kinda like one of the radios where you have to spin the handle to power?
for now, having pv installed on the house and generate power to charge your EV is the most feasible way to tackle this challenge. using mass transport is also the answer for far destination. its not about one solution for all...
@@lazuardiinggil that would waste an additional 10-20% of the power produced, and add cost that together add years to the payback equation. A $30-60k car with a $15-30k solar system and $5-15k storage system is not a viable option for most people. Impossible for renters and most people with out single family homes with dedicated parking.
@@orkin2525 the point here is to reduce carbon and to kickstart mass implementation of green energy. If you use economic calculation, then everything is not viable now. Keep using coal and oil if you want it cheap.
@@lazuardiinggil a 50 unit apartment building will never have enough solar panels to offset it power use, much less charge vehicles. The ratio of roof area to unit goes way down with every story. Or just build nuclear power plants and charge regardless of weather and time of day.
I've had a commutes to work that were 2 miles or 5 miles for many years. My car sat out in a large asphalt parking lot all day at work. Riding a bike was terrifying with all those angry folks driving around me, so car was pretty much required to be safe. Traffic often resulted in speeds of 45 mph at most on the highway. A light weight two passenger vehicle with solar on the roof would have been ideal. The world needs to start thinking about 900 lb solar commuter cars as the new normal and stop having one dude commuting alone in a diesel F-250 club cab that he owns so he can go camping for two weeks every summer.
Even if a solar panel integrated into a roof the an EV or hybrid that charged enough for 1km per day would add up over time to make it worthwhile. Additional to this, what about if you would never have to worry about your battery going completely flat if you went away and were not going to drive your car for a couple of weeks? A trickle charge to offset the drain of the instruments? Even after breaking the illusion that solar cells will charge the driving needs of the average person, I think they are a useful addition.
2016 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid had an option of a solar panel on the roof. Added about 5km per day. Later higher efficiency flexible panels could do better.
I don't expect cars to be fully powered by solar. But if they could keep the battery charged while the battery temperatures are controlled that would be excellent step. Slight heating/cooling here and there to maintain optimum battery life would be great way to use car solar roof energy.
A small 2 Watt panel would be perfect for most cars to keep the battery charge up while parked. Most cars draw from the battery even when off, which isn't a problem when used every or every other day, but when it goes for a week or two, it can be a problem. So a small panel would offset that draw, and keep the battery up. The only additional thing is to have a diode so the panel can't drain the battery at night. 2 Watts won't require a charge controller. I wish Ford would do that to their smaller cars, as those batteries are small to begin with!
The Aptera three-wheeled car is REALLY compelling. It's the first time I have seen a car where I could actually see a value in a 3-wheeled vehicle design. Would happily sacrifice "style preference" for that level of efficiency.
I live in MN, where in January, it can be very cold, yet often clear and sunny. My w/mi rises when the heater and seats are used, when regenerative braking is off, etc. I've often thought solar could be used to simply keep the batteries and the cab interior warmed, if nothing else. Basically, a non-plug in, trickle charger. That alone might be worth the extra cost.
It makes more sense to view solar as an offset for everything else using energy in the car besides the drivetrain, I.e. climate control, radio/nav, adas, 12v battery maintenance, power drain while parked, sentry mode, etc. Essentially the best use case for solar IMO is to provide energy for all non driving energy use so EVs are actually using the full pack energy for motion so the small percents add up so your more likely to achieve the rated range in a broader set of circumstances.
This is a decent way to look at it as long as the person’s car parking habits are in line with this. Someone who lives/works in the suburbs so their car is often parked in full daylight during the day every day of the week? Yea this makes sense. Someone who lives and works in an urban environment so their car is parked in a covered parking lot everyday? They’re better off not wasting their money. So I guess what I’m saying is that people still need to put the same thought into it that they do for all renewable energy sources.
Drop in the bucket. Are you suggesting a secondary, isolated battery exclusively for accessories? Added complexity, added weight, extra cost, etc. Like having a seperate tiny engine and gas tank just for spinning the power steering, alternator, and AC. Respectfully disagree.
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Great video. In addition to solar-powered EVs, we'll also eventually see improvements with the regenerative braking. Together these will go a long way (pun intended) towards having a car we won't need to refuel very often.
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Dynamo
Can you make a video about nuclear powered cars? I'm currently working on figuring out how this could actually work. I have found out a method that is possible but probably extremely expensive. The two contesters I have in mind are fission and nuclear decay energy sources. The question is also if it would be powered entirely by nuclear energy or work as a battery-nuclear-reactor hybrid.
Your "theoretical" calculations are way off- I always wonder why you do not involve a PV expert in your research. However, the conclusion is right, solar on a car is useful mostly for inner temperature control, battery health and such.
For a moment I thought you would not introduce Sono Sion. I am very happy to be mistaken.
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Being a pilot, I only drive to work once a week. My car sits in direct sunlight huge open parking lot for 4 days while I’m at work. I think solar panels would work great for my situation
might be cheaper to just have carparks with solar panels. or trees.
@@sandrafrancisco that’s not something an individual has control over.
How much would you be willing to invest in a car that you seldom drive and leave out in the elements?
I say do it, all you need to do is hook it up correctly, no different than charging any other batteries that charge from solar.
@@PvtPartzz portable solar panel should do.
This panel can put out close to 100 watts ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
If solar panels only added 5 miles a day, that would cover 90% of my traveling. They would absolutely benefit me and they’d give me the peace of mind knowing that if I ever was without my car for a few days, I wouldn’t get in my car and find the battery at zero charge.
Just being able to charge somewhere that has no outlets or charging station is itself a huge relief.
Solar panels don’t have to be the sole source of power or even the primary power source for a vehicle for them to still make sense!
Exactly! It will work like a Plan B :)
Moreover, it doesn’t need to make sense to you personally for it to still be a commercially viable product :)
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ what about no, you are wasting your time and god doesn't exist?
@@PvtPartzz The new Electric Toyota has a solar roof that generates about 2-3 miles a day (if my math Is correct). That would probably be a great car for you depending on your driving habits!
@@justaguyfromreddit so life came from nothing? It takes 2 to reproduce, and your sitting there in human flesh with trees all around you that produce fruit for you to eat and water that you need to survive, with animals all around you and a sun that goes over your head everyday and a moon at night. I’m not expecting anyone to understand how God is but I trust him at his word, he is the great ‘I AM.’ There are promises in the Bible such as in Jeremiah that says you will seek me and find me when you search for me with ALL of your heart. If you want to find God, then seek him. Come to him and humble yourself, don’t demand he show himself like you have any entitlement at all. Many people believe so strongly that God or Jesus doesn’t exist, they even call others that do believe stupid and act harshly towards them, yet have the audacity to not even put the promises of God to the test or read his word and seek him. If they did, they would join the countless others who have testimonies from the Lord. The very fact that your alive and have all of this creation around you screams his existence. People turn a blind eye to God, don’t even seek him, and then go on and believe something that takes significant more faith to believe in and is also quite frankly stupid. But the Bible is correct again, satan has blinded this world. Go listen to some testimonies, humble yourself, and find out what his word really says. And then talk to him, seek him.
Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Hell is real, you don’t get to do whatever you want and expect to get away with it. You need a savior. None of us are “good” people. Don’t wait until your on your deathbed to realize that. Repent now while God is giving you the opportunity. There is much we as humans don’t understand, the Bible says we see through a glass dimly, but God is real and there are many answered prayers, many miracles and many many testimonies on top of the evidence of him that’s all around you. Or you can ignore this and assume your right. It’s up to you.
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
I think solar panels would be a huge benefit for more people than we think. They may not increase the overall range by much, but they would decrease reliance on the grid for the average commuter if they spend more time at work than driving.
Exactly. However because of Covid19 lockdowns, once people got a taste of working from home, they didn't want to go back to the corporate glass tower to work. And who can blame them? So solar for cars makes even more sense, if the only reason many people drive is just to go to work. The rest would be buses and trains, and occasional leisure because a lot of people have difficulty driving or simply don't like it.
I think putting the solar panels on top of the parking lot would be a lot more effective because you don't have to drive that extra weight around.
@@ZachariahMBaird a built in roof solar panel isn't going to add a lot of weight.
@@ZachariahMBaird Yes. The solar panel for the parking lot would be much more effective . For starters. You can use the energy, if there is sun and not just if someone is at work.
It is also much cheaper using those existing standard solar panel than using special car solar panel.....
nope, not in any significant amount
I have two comments about this. First of all, the numbers don't always need to make sense. If people want a cheap car, they'd buy a Chevy Spark. People are willing to pay for all sorts of upgrades on a car that don't pay for themselves. So, I think a lot of people would pay extra for solar panels on their BEV or PHEVs, even if the extra production cost was never recouped. Second thing is, it's probably not a great explanation to say how long it takes for a full recharge. In practice, that doesn't matter. What does matter is how many miles per day could you add to the car? I think approximately 10 miles is where it starts to really make sense. Some people literally only drive 10 miles per day or less on average. I'm one of those people. But even if you drive 20 miles per day, that's 50% of your commute by sunlight. Take a PHEV like the Prius Prime. It's rated at 25 miles per charge. But with solar, you might could get 35 miles per charge if you parked it at work in the sun all day. That could be the difference between driving your entire commute on electric power, or having to start the engine every day. So, 10 miles starts to make sense. And if that can be increased over time to 20-30 miles per day on an affordable car, then it's a real game changer.
Exactly folks need to look at this in terms of day to day overall use solar on cars makes sense and no one in their right mind is suggesting to just opt for only solar like of course we still would need ev charge stations etc
That is fine but I think people keep forgetting where they park their cars. I don't know anyone that doesn't park their car in a garage at home or at work. Not a lot of benefit from solar if you are parking inside so the overall ROI for the manufacturers may not make sense.
Not gonna lie, as wacky as the Aptera looks, that looks like an absolute bargain for the long term, based on just that info alone. In fact, I just looked at the Pre-order page for that, and $35,000 for a 600 Mile range battery is already looking like a stupid good deal.
For comparison's sake, my 2015 Tucson has a range of roughly 450 miles on a full tank on a good day, at roughly the same cost, and to see that same kind of range on a EV ON PROBABLY A BAD DAY is a really strong deal to me.
Pretty much my only question would be at what speeds does it operate the best at? If it's similar to the same 65mph that my Tucson does, then all bets are off at that point, personally speaking.
I think this is exactly it, for standard commuting this technology makes a ton of sense.
The people concerned about hugely extended range are thinking about a relative edge case, most people don't go on massive road trips every weekend, most people do 99% of their driving to a handful of places within a few minutes of their house. And thats where this technology finds it's killer app
@@paulopaulo32str8 there are plenty of people who park out in the sun not every job has parking garages and not everyone has a garage also would make it a net positive to not park in a parking garage etc
The thing is, if the solar panels are cheap enough, what's the loss in having some solar capabilities in the car. Sure it will not be 100% grid free but maybe 5%. Everything adds up.
The loss? If paying big sums of money for it isn't a loss then what is?
@@CuulX are you illiterate, he quite literally wrote, and i directly quite here, “if the solar panels are cheap enough…”.
Solar panels are not efficient enough to make a difference. It's cheaper to not buy the solar panel and just pay for charging
@@nalaka3488 no its better to do the math, the solar panels will have a repayment time. if that is shorter than the cars life expectancy then it is not worth it.
electricity is not cheap (at least not everywhere) and the cost of panels is going down, the future of this technology is only getting brighter.
Well you answered your own question yourself: ”if solar panels were cheap.” Obviously everything would be perfect if everything was cheap and just worked, but that’s not how the real world works. A private jet would be even better than a solar car - IF they were cheap, that is.
You know what makes a surprising amount of sense? Solar powered parking lots!
I did some rough math for my work based on charging with a 110v plug and the standard size of parking spaces and one way lanes. My work would be able to charge everyone’s car 32-40 miles/day AND sell enough energy back to the grid in order to pay off the system in about two years.
Granted, I live in SoCal so I have a more ideal solar situation, but there’s still a good chunk of workplaces which could do this. And, as an EV owner, I can attest to the fact that 36 miles/day is more than you think it is….for me, it means only using public charging on Saturday instead of doing it Wednesday and Saturday!
Edit: sorry for the confusion. I’m talking about constructing a pavilion over the parking lot which holds the solar panels and the cars park under.
This design is a bit weird: It basically gets punished for its main goal: providing parking space. But a parking car will lower the solar power harvested. For parking spaces in a work environment, cars will typically park during working hours which are unfortunately also the sunniest hours of the day. California has roughly 9 hours of sun per day, but 5-7 might be blocked by cars during working hours!
Of course, if the parking lot is way too big and therefore many spots are usually free, that's another story. Same with parking lots mainly used during the night.
Having solar rooves over parking lots would have the added benefit of keeping the cars cool (less need for aircon to get rid of stored heat) and prevent all that light from turning to heat when it hits the asphalt. It should be law that all parking lots are covered in them...
@@pinguin1009 I'm sure OP doesn't mean literally parking cars on solar panels as that's utterly stupid.
Of course you'll need a roof with solar panels..
@@mrboredj Yeh solar panels as shades, I genuinely don't understand why it's not done more. It's a win win. Don't get into your car that's the temperature of an oven.
@@pinguin1009 haha, bless. But no.
The Aptera would be a huge hit here in my town, we get tons of sun all year, I'm sure a few hours on the sun would cover most people needs of transportation, it also isn't projected to be nearly as expensive as other EVs, it's limitation right now is that it's a 2 seater, probably they'll come with a 4 seat option if the first one takes off.
I feel like if they get to the slightly bigger and refined model after their first one they aren't going to be able to make enough of them. If they can make that 4 seat option with 700 ish miles due to a bigger car and better solar area they could be the next best thing. I would buy one in a heart beat especially for a commuter car for work and a trip every so often. I almost put money for their first car but id like to see it perform first and get the refined second model.
@@spro_halver8553 IT IS CURVED! Solar panels have to be FLAT! IN other word, the Aptera is NOT a good choice. Size is irrelevant as the optimum angle for a solar panel is exactly 90 degrees from the incoming light beams. In other words, if the sun is at 90 degrees up from the horizon (only happens at the equator), then the panels would be sitting parallel to the ground. The Aptera has curves. This means that at best you get SOME of the solar cells receiving optimum sunlight and only when the car is standing still. As soon as it moves, the angle changes on every single cell on the car. Thus, the best you can hope for something LESS THAN their optimum efficiency. For the added weight of those solar panels, you get very little return on investment.
In other words, solar charging a car is a really stupid idea!
@@protoborg How much weight does the full solar package add to the Aptera?
@@protoborg Solar panels don't have to be flat. Sure, the optimum angle is 90 degrees, but how many home roof-mounted solar panels track the movement of the sun? I've never seen one that does. You can't move your home to get the solar panels out from the shade of trees or nearby buildings, but you sure can move the Aptera. The weight of the solar cells is very little and the benefit of not having to plug in, particularly for those that don't have a garage (like apartment dwellers) can be huge.
@@spro_halver8553 But you can reserve one now for $70 to $100 and that's refundable. They will supposedly start filling the earliest orders this year so you would get yours in 2024 but that would be more than enough time to see if they delivered as promised before you completed your order.
The first thing that came to me while watching this, oddly, was... survival. In an internal combustion or electric vehicle, it's possible to run out of fuel or charge and be stranded (I imagine a long, lonely desert road somewhere in the southwest). But with a solar assist, one would have something like a lifeboat. Either the panels could operate crucial power systems such as fan, lights or AC for brief periods, or if one waited long enough, sooner or later it could power the vehicle enough to get closer to civilization. One might only be driving a few miles at a time at low speed, but eventually one would get there. Even in normal situations, I think this feature would be a selling point. If a car company could promise an EV that would never leave one stranded, it could overcome a major consumer barrier.
Totally agree
They’re the perfect zombie apocalypse vehicle.
If it's light enough, you might be able to push it along the roadway or going downhill while it charges, getting you that much closer to humanity. In reality, though, people leave their cars in parking garages or left in lots that don't get full direct sunlight. We need a vehicle efficient enough that it can gather sufficient sunlight while driving so it's still pointing at full at the end of the trip; you'd only see it go toward empty when driving at night.
Yeah but at that point I’d rather just have external batteries that are more powerful, how long are you planning on surviving in just a car w/o getting food and water?
If you are really stranded in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure managing to limp 20-30 miles a day is going to be of much help. I mean you could walk that far.
I had solar panels in my sunroof on my VW Passat. They were used to run the interior blower when the car was parked. It was great, meaning that on a sunny day the fan was running, you could hear the speed change when there were clouds passing in front of the sun.
However, all it had to do was drive the blower, it was an ICE car, but that was enough at that time (2003).
Now that is a smart move!!
Similar to the Toyota Prius solar roof - except you got to design yours, yourself.
@@toddcurtis1377 woah I had no idea they had a solar roof option.
I bet it kept it a lot closer to outside temperatures instead of going up to 175 degrees.
Back in the 90s, you could buy a gadget that would fit on top of a rolled-up window, with a vent and a small fan, powered by a small solar panel.
They cost about $20, and cut the inside temps of my old VW Beetle by about 30 degrees in the summer.
If solar panels added a minimum of 10 miles/ day, I'd be happy. That would cover about 25% of my weekday driving needs and close to 100% of my weekend driving needs. Think of the cost savings over the life of the car
If youre doing this charging from your driveway anyway, it might be better to achieve 100% of your charging needs with an at-home solar setup, on the roof of your house or carport. I'm not sure how well integrated solar charging and EV port charging work together, it might be either/or for some cars, meaning if solar didnt achieve 100% of your charging needs, it might not be worth it.
Depending on what model of the Aptera you get, and where you live though, that car can achieve up to 30-40 miles per day of charge off of purely 700 watts integrated solar. That would just about achieve 100% of your typical daily charging needs. With the full size battery pack as well, it can achieve 1,000 mile range off wall charging, if you need to go on a long trip. And since it achieves all that through aerodynamics, charge time per mile is pretty good compared to most EVs.
@@hatman4818 I agree, but with surface area already available on the car, might as well make it useful. I know it's a small amount of surface area and it might seem like a miniscule amount of power produced when looking at 1 day or even 1 week production. The total production during life of the car electric, however, would probably be very impressive. Also, it would be kind of like always having an extra .5 to 1 gallon of gas available for an internal combustion engine, without the risk of carrying a full gas can onboard.
10 miles a day is my commute to and from work
Aptera is a new car coming out that can have up to a 1,000 mile range and the solar panels can give you up to 40mi per day of charge.
Reducing the weight of your car would be more efficient than adding a few square feet of panels to the top of the car.
Out of the 3 solar cars presented, I’d opt for the Sion. Relatively cheap, 2 way charging (home battery or charge other cars and make money), and decent trunkspace.
One really good solar panel use on a car I saw was the automatic AC system.
So in a hot sunny day the car would turn on the AC(small) and keep the inside of the car relatively cool, or in winter (say it has no snow covering) the AC would heat the inside of the car.
Do you have any idea how much power five square meters of solar cells put out in winter? "Under ideal conditions" you might power your brake lights.
@@alexdrudigmail It's a good question. It depends hugely on where you are. However, it also makes less sense in the winter because sun will heat the car naturally. having solar run a heater will probably only add 30-50% extra heat beyond the passive solar heating. Significant, probably, but not a game changer. I think the cooling is the real win here.
@@SemiMono "the sun will heat the car naturally" I had ice on my car for weeks because we only got 6 hours of sun during that time.
All for solar and evs. Just seasons are different in different places
@@CountryLifestyle2023 yes, in some places in certain seasons, passive and active solar are both of very little use.
@@SemiMono Agreed, but I would still buy an electric car with it, even if it only adds 20km or so. Save a little on hydro bill as well
The vehicles that I'm most keen to see have solar added are EV school buses, connected to bi-directional charging when they're sitting at the bus depot between the morning and afternoon runs.
EDIT to add the caveat that adding PV to the buses themselves would only make sense once all the viable roof space at the depot is used up.
Wow, I really like this idea.
Good idea 👍
@@stephentroyer3831 there are already pilot projects (in NY state?) with EV buses on bidirectional charging, so adding solar seems like a logical step... Though I would add the caveat that it would only make sense to add solar to the buses themselves once any viable rooftop space at the depot has been used for PV.
Seems like it would be more efficient to just install the solar panels at a proper angle at the bus depot itself. Solar panels on a flat surface will produce less power.
Agreed. That sounds like it has huge potential. I feel like most of the innovation left with solar is the innovation of finding new places where we can deploy it.
You comment is a great example of that. Others that I’m sure we’ve all heard are combining solar with farming (agrivoltaics), covering water canals with solar, putting panels along the sides of freeways, etc.
Aptera’s approach is the most compelling. Reduce weight, reduce drag, redefine the car while retaining utility - reframe the problem.
You mean totally loose practicability. It’s a motorcycle with a roof. Not crash-worthy at all.
@@wolfgangpreier9160 your comment brings up the elephant in the room (at least in the U.S.) - a great many consumers are buying huge trucks and SUV's, which spells danger for any person who wishes to use more efficient forms of transportation. Whether you are a walker, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or driver of a small car, large and heavy vehicles are a menace.
@@5tr41ghtGuy I am mostly driving in Europe on the autobahn. Where should I use bicycles?
@@wolfgangpreier9160 For about 60% of trips (very low estimate) this vehicle makes perfect sense.
It is not compelling. It will be classified as a motorcycle. It can't pass car safety standards, or other standards. A lot of places will require a motorcycle license. It is a total non-starter for a commercial car. It might sell a couple thousand units at most.
One of the things that amazes me is that some car manufacturers manufacture hybrid cars which have 2 drive systems but none of them make a diesel/electric car where they have a diesel generator that operates at optimum performance at all times after warming up and the generator runs an electric drive motor in the same way the diesel/electric train locomotives operate.
That car from Aptera looks amazing. I can see some people not wanting one, because of how strange it looks, but it would be a status symbol for others for the same reason.
Color me in that second category. I'd consider it even without the solar stuff.
I really like how it looks. I hope they take off so when Im in the market for a new car I can get one.
@@minasegazi4000 I'm afraid if I see one on the road I'm going to start laughing so hard I'll run off the road and crash.
@@scottbreseke716 considering it would Essentially be free to drive, I'll take the occasional snicker.
Can't be any worse than what those mimi or nano drivers deal with.
Aptera has thus far been a scam. The price is higher than great used options. They are not honest about miles/day solar. They don't account for derating due to their panel angles.
Hey Matt, where I live in the outback of Western Australia a Solar boosted car makes very good sense. We have very high sunshine hours and a small city to travel around. Renting transportation for the 600 km trip to the state capital or the one hour flight or railcar journey all make sense with the money saved from fueling up or recharging … many of us don’t need the speed we just need the utility of a handy cheap to run Car …
The video says it doesn't make sense.
It never make sense to put the solar cell on the car or truck. Never!
@@rymannphilippe not true
In tropical countries like mine india any solar car that advertise solar range say X will actually double the solar range to 2X in india.
So it will make much much more sense to sell solar car in india, Australia etc.
@@anandsuralkar2947 of course true. You better put a solar cell on to your roof to get every day 9 to 1800 sunpower. Solar cells on cars its like solar freaking roadways.
Toyota Prius had this as an option to run the blowers to keep the car cool in a hot sunny day, that’s energy well spent for comfort and the panels only occupied half of the roof! I really hope toyota would bring this option back on their EV’s and Hybrid’s.
@@rogerstarkey5390LOL implemented 10 years ago. I understand people back then was scared of EV’s, now they are racing to make EV’s better but man I wish Toyota stuck and improved with that option.
As someone who has to wait in a vehicle while my kid is at appointments, I would friggin love a solar powered fan situation. I have a battery operated fan that I use to keep from having to run the engine on hot days.
Toyota did bring back the solar roof option outside the US, sort of. The Prius Prime has been available for several years with a solar roof option that can recharge the battery for a few miles each day. It's not offered in the US because the panel is not shatter-proof and that's required by US law. Or at least that's the reason I read a few years back.
I still have my Prius with a solar panel. I always got a kick out of the fact that the sun helps keep the car cool.
Yea, but the cost a few grand so not worth it.
Although this video is really well made, I do miss one essential thing: cars that have solar panels and are plugged in can also supply electricity back to the power grid.
Essentialy the same as the solar panels on your roof when your car is plugged in.
Mat, about twenty years ago, during the beginning of hybrid vehicles, my late thermodynamics engineer dad thought solar panels would be wonderful for running the car's air conditioner to save overheating the engine on hot days in traffic jams. In southern NJ, where temps often graze 100 degrees farienheight and traffic is a nightmare, this was a frequent cause of auto breakdowns and huge, miles long traffic snarls on the freeways. Dad thought if the AC was replaced by a heat exchanger, the solar panels could work in cold weather too to defrost and heat cars, decreasing overall gas consumption.
There are millions of existing combustion engine cars!
Is anyone trying to retrofit gas engine cars with solar or EV features?
Might make an interesting show.
Reuse and recycling of current vehicles would be a boon to decreased CO2 emissions over new car production, creating potential green jobs for conventional mechanics and car-head enthusiasts.
Even if the recycled cars use 1/2 the gas they do now, that would be a big win.
If the price was ok, I would actually love to have my car retrofitted with a solar panel. I'm a very infrequent driver (even more so during the pandemic and home office) and on more than one occasion my car simply wouldn't start because I didn't drive often enough and the battery was empty.
I just don't see the use for defrosting. The car is usually frozen in the morning, so the solar panel would have to store the energy from the previous day somewhere and use that for running the heater. Combine that with our traditionally grey winters and there's very little energy available.
Thermodynamics engineer that can't put 2 and 2 of "cold weather" being no sunlight available and no heat to put into "heat exchanger" just brightened my day a little. Sun defrosts stuff allright on it's own, where it is available. Have you seen any frost during the day in your southern NJ? Ever spent a moment with your dad wondering why? Do I need to explain that sun heats it away? Or should I point out that in places where the frost and ice is an actual issue during the day - it is mostly caused by no sunlight being available, during the day?
And how running a couple kilowatt at best AC is any sort of issue for a 100+kilowatt engine?
By the way, normal-sized cars use about a third of gas compared to cars of a size americans think they absolutely have to drive.
But then again yk electric companies dont really wanna help us or the enviroment
@ Marjohn That question comes up with all kinds of things. Ditch the polluting thing now & replace it with the non-polluting version, or run it til it dies and then replace it with the non-polluting thing? Do the math: lifecycle cost, energy use, carbon & other pollution. You're replacing the old one at some point anyway. It makes no sense to keep it polluting for years more and then add the costs of making the new one. Ditch the old one asap and stop polluting asap.
@@BunjiKugashira42 There's places that get frost and get very little rain. NM is one of those places with a lot of sunshine in winter but with little clouds.
So very glad you included Aptera in this video. I live 13 km from work so even here in not always so sunny Nova Scotia Canada I would not have to plug in very often. Efficiency is their motto.
I’m honestly way more excited about how much they’re pushing efficiency. Would love to see if those improvements get ported over to other cars.
I've been suggesting this for about the last decade or so. I didn't realize that this technology was being applied to vehicles so long ago or that we'd come this far. Every day at work I would see all the cars sitting in the parking lot often basking in the sun and thought 'Why aren't we taking advantage of this?' I was envisioning either flexible custom shaped panels or some type of solar paint. I assumed that the cars would still need to either be hybrid or topped up via plug-in charging however it would still make a dent and utilize FREE energy.
It's great to see the progreses in this field and as the technology gets better the prices will drop. We really need to start utilizing all of the energy that the planet provides more frequently and effectively. Many people struggle to pay for fuel and electricity to run their vehicles and homes. When in reality if we had started incoporating these technologies into most products years ago this wouldn't be nearly the issue it is today.
@DyesubDave The paint makes the most sense yet, including transparent cells on the windows, but Holy Shl†, why not cover the parking lot with a roof with solar panels on it, and draw people to your establishment by offering free charging while they're working or shopping there?
Years ago one of the major car makers had a car with solar panels to run the air conditioning while the car sat in the hot sun. I want to say it was Mitsubishi, but I can't find any info on it.
Could we "ground" destructive drivers that threaten us with "totaling" our vehicles by riding our bumpers, inattentive/lazy driving, refusing to brake sooner, and plain old speeding? I'm assuming that body damage to solar cars could easily make them worthless!
Interesting old film with Tom Hanks; 'Who Killed The Electric Car?'
DyesubDave - You got your answer there in your 1st paragraph "FREE energy". What! the pheasants getting something for free and NOT pay us your masters? The evil rulers of this world prohibit that.
It’s a good idea, as like all ideas and concepts there’s room for improvements. I see it as a range extender, if it get you x amount of extra range then that’s less to be charged when plugged in. It all helps out in the long run.
X amount of reduction of every single cars charging load.
Is signifigant as hell.
Even if x= 1%
Nope.
I've noted for over a decade that the market for solar vehicle roofs would be places with lots of sun and a commuter mentality. I lived in San Diego where we had abundant sun year round, and most people drove 10-20 miles a day. The panels wouldn't replace plug-in charging, but could supplement it while parked at work. In that vein, the Aptera would be an ideal commuter car.
They can easily build small 100-125 mpg commuter hybrid cars they just refuse to do so...Example, small 2 or 4 seat hatchback like a Gen 1 Honda Insight. Use small fwd engine that could run off gas or much cleaner bio diesel (bio or fossil diesel), propane (like a propane forklift, just swap tanks when empty like a forklift driver does) or compressed natural gas. Add a rwd electric motor & smaller battery bank for rwd power assist boost or 100% electric city driving.Cover the hood, roof & rear window/tail with solar cells to help keep battery bank recharged. By making a smaller hybrid car with smaller battery bank it could be recharged off a standard 120V AC plug or quick 240V AC. Now you have a hybrid that can be fwd gas only (although slow/low power in fwd only) rwd electric only or awd for power assist boost & snow driving. That can get 100-125 mpgs with 1 gallon of bio diesel & fully charged battery. It's already been proven they can build small 100-125 mph hybrids. They just don't, I suspect because #1 car makers are mandated by governments. If they put millions of 125 mpg solar charge assist cars on the road. Governments would lose millions $$$ in gas/oil tax revenue & oil companies would lose profits from less fuel being sold. The powers that be don't even want you to get a partial recharge from solar panels on a car. A small, light, long bed hybrid pickup truck like a ford ranger or VW Van with it's hood,roof, truck bed topper covered in solar cells could actually get a free 15-20 miles sitting in a parking lot for 8 hrs recharging while you're at work.
As someone who drives less than 10 miles a day, I would be a customer who could completely stop using petroleum.
In large cities, ~60% of commuters park in decks with no direct sunlight. Those that have surface parking still have a lot of trees that would degrade charging.
I'm all for trying to find more efficiency, but picking up 1 to 2% more for the added cost is a joke, and really $170,000 for a car, seriously?
As a former Tesla owner, I'll reiterate what I have said so many times before. If you want wide scale adaptation, focus on use. Make a "commuter car" that will go 120 miles, seats four, can recharge in 30 minutes, and costs less than $25k. Make a standard car that seats four that can go 250 miles between a charge that costs $35k, and make a grand tourer that seats four and will go 400 miles for less than $45k.
If you can't do that, continued market penetration will slow given a consumer can buy a comfortable hybrid for $30k that will get 500 miles on a tank.
Why put it on the car? It's such a small space. You are going to get about .001 miles a day. I mean, until your roof catches on fire. Those things get very hot. The solar roadway caught fire.
@@michaelbrinks8089 Wow, you really believe that nonsense? Show us proof that 125mpg cars are possible but they "refuse" to make them. This is the oldest BS story that has been floating around since the internet started, and even a little before that.
The Aptera approach would be the most logical as someone who has done some research with the NA solar car competition in 2013. Our uni was planning to start a solar car team but we weren't knowledge enough to do Carbon fibre production and moulding. Hence, we have given up after design phase. It is true that reducing the drag and weight of the vehicle does help a lot to move the project forward. Using a high density battery is another key factor. In hub motor with a bike CVT is the conclusion that we had come up in the end of the design phase.
Shame, as carbon fiber work is 10 times easier than people think it is. You can get programs for the lay up , the only real hard part is the mould making, but that is the same for fiberglass.
@@ForeverNeverwhere1 Remember, that was in 2014 and prepreg carbon fiber was no where popular. As I did my master in 2017, CF has indeed becomes more common and easily accessible.
Get Tesla to cost reduce a four wheel solar powered version of an Aptera ultra lightweight car and that would really be a great solution. Three wheels, no thanks. AWD with maybe 9 second 0-60 would be perfect for most everyone.
@@NackDSP Aptera's efficiency stems from its streamlined design not it's light weight. going back to four wheels undoes most of the savings
The low weight of the Aptera makes a BIG difference to efficiency for urban driving. Light weight is one of the main design goals for the Aptera.
The Sono Sion is super exciting for how un-exciting it is! Functional, with a familiar silhouette. Only available in one colour. And really practical for a family - that gives it hope of being more than a city car, because let’s be honest, cities suffer from cars. But the Sion is such appealing design because function leads, without being showy. It clearly takes a lot of science to achieve what these companies are trying. Bravo
Actually the SION is not "un-exciting". Matt just does not understand what is relevant in a solar powered car. If "Efficiency" was relevant, there never would have been a mass market for combustion engine cars. The SION was not designed for the US market. It's solar cells produce more than 15 Kilometers per day. The average distance one drives per day with his car in germany is 22 Kilometers. So this is quite significant. And in summer, the SION easily exceeds those 22 Kilometers per day by charging with the sun. Solar power is just too cheap to not use it. And the advantage to charge the car independant from a stationary charging station is also something, Matt completely ignores.
and let us just add also to this bulsh!t story that sono motors sales you - the real story true.
7:00
let us add more info to this.
sono motors stole all the ideas from a single man that created all and the company.
now sono motors stole EVERYTHING dont want to pay back the guy who invented EVERYTHING.
just a side note!
I agree with you and Sil ence; the SION is an exiting car. What also should be mentioned is that it can be used to power your house or other things. Also it does not waste energy in AC/DC conversion if that's not needed. Last but not least it's exiting because of its affordability. I know the Lightyear folks want to make an affordable car but have chosen to make an expensive car first. In the line-up of EV's the SION is still the best proposition, except it's still not for sale yet. Hope they are going to make it once it's there next year.
The sion is so wonderfull with the little details like the integrated sockets so the car acts as a giant powerbank. Sono also offers a wall mounted battery to store extra energy.
@@williwillswissen80 those ideas to be specific all the ideas have been stolen and they are NOT the creators of this.
all the ideas were stolen from the single man that created EVERYTHING and they don't want to pay him.
this is the true story!
Great overview! We try to avoid driving with our still conventionally fueled car and actually don't need it that often and it's parked outside. As a familly we need a practical car that carries all four of us plus some additional stuff. The Sion perfectly fits our use case which ist why I reserved one.
Thanks Matt. I am working on getting solar for my home in September 2022. I have spent the last year reducing my power needs down from 2000KW per month to 600kw month. Now to get in line for installation. Next after that is an EV. I appreciate your videos & efforts. Thank you!
@@rogerstarkey5390 Hey thanks. It took 15 mos of waiting but then when things kicked in it was nice. I was scheduled for a June install for solar but it got pushed to Sep. Its been fun.
Hi!
I live in an appartment in Greece.
I consume 1MWh/year.
I have 5x240Wp solar panels. Without them my consumption will be 2.5MWh/year.
Is amazing from how many spots you can eliminate energy losses!
I have been a fan of adding solar cells to cars for a long time. Even if only to run the fan while parked on a hot day or trickle charge the battery on a cold one. The only disadvantage of solar cells on a car is the cost to effectiveness ratio. If it costs a lot and adds very little, then it's not really going to be worth while.
It's curious to me how solar is the only option on a car that seems to get this level of scrutiny in terms of cost benefit analysis. For example you could apply the same scrutiny to more expensive options like a better audio system or whether you want an all wheel drive option or not, but those have no basis on efficiency and are more or less benefits that you pay a premium for because you might value something like a heated steering wheel. I'd argue the same reasoning could apply to solar, where you're paying a premium for the added benefit of having a slightly more efficient ac system, or vehicle in general that would of course only have an added benefit over time, just like any other incremental improvement on any one system that normally goes unnoticed because it's baked into the new model year.
i think the best case for now is just to have solar pannels on your home and then charge an EV with that power, i think it's more effective
@@MrAlziepen This is an excellent point, it doesn't really matter if they don't add much in terms of range if it provides other benefits. A couple m2 of cheap solar cells might be just enough to increase the batteries lifespan a little or keep the cab warm/cool, benefits which don't really translate into added km per day.
@@Violant3 Why not both?
A solar powered car in Denmark would go to the local store once a month when the weather is bad...
Still if it is not too expensive, why not.
Also just imagine the solar being used for air condition when the car is parked, so your car is much more pleasant to enter when it is really cold or hot outside.
A couple additional points:
1. Solar cells on cars unfortunately need to be under glass for most applications to stop theft. This use of cells under glass also reduces efficiency compared to panels out in a farm field or on a roof.
2. The cost-benefit wasn’t discussed but is huge if companies want people to actually pay for the solar panel option. If it’s a 10k option to add and would take 8 years to pay off compared to simply using a plug in charger that won’t go over well in the public. We all want to be environmentally minded but it has to make fiscal sense as well.
3. There is a paradoxical use case here. Most electric cars are stored in garages or apt parking structures, partially to protect the expensive devices from harm and theft. But these solar versions cost even more, but assume they will always be parked outside?
I’m excited about future solar cars but they do have a lot more barriers than solar or EVs have on their own. Thanks for the great video!
Good insight Ryan..
That's why solar roofs on carports generally make more sense.
Good points. These will be expensive cars so owners would probably keep them in garages or under cover. I’m not sold, but I drive a Tundra. Silly me.
For point 3: Not just outside. You'd want to put them in parking spots with the least shade possible. So you know that in the summer, it's going to be swelteringly hot in there, so you'll need to use the A/C a lot more.
In case you didn't notice, ALL solar panels in solar farms and on house roofs are under glass. No different to how they'd be on a car- they need the glass to protect them from damage (hail, for instance). The only exterior application of solar cells I've noticed not under glass is on solar challenge vehicles used to race here in Australia. He mentioned thin film solar cells used on a truck- thin film cells produce about half the power of the panel types usually on houses.
I built two of those! When we toured the car at shows, events, etc., I NEVER suggested to attendees we believed solar powered cars would be an actual thing. It was a demonstration vehicle, the design and construction process of which was solely to advance the thinking of emerging minds in addition to promoting green energy.
Which two did you build? I'm personally quite familiar with solar cars from all around the world so I'm genuinely interested. By the way, if the Aptera specs are legitimate, it will be able to get an average of over 30 miles a day in a sunny location.
This sounds very interesting! What is the NYME of your project?
@@andrasszalay7718 sunalwaysshinesontvs never answered me so maybe you’ll have better luck…..
As a commuter from home to the office, I could have utilized solar panels on the car by parking it in the sun during my office hours. I hope eight hours of sunlight can drive the car for an hour. Even if the efficiency is less than this, still it will be useful as I have to charge my car less frequently.
Wrong. It doesn't actually decrease the amount of recharging you have to do as the solar panels do not actually make much difference to the time required to recharge.
@@protoborg for DC fast charging, yeah, batteries have a limit to how fast the energy storage electrochemical reactions can occur. Cant charge faster than that.
But for 120 volt level 1 charging, solar power (which will work both while parked and while driving) may result a substantial reduction in charge time, Because A: solar charging and level 1 charging at the same time is more power. And B: some solar energy input already happened while driving.
Solar power could be the difference between weither or not level 1 charging is enough to meet daily driving needs. I'm very interested in level 1 charging, because if it's sufficient, then the only charging infrastructure needed is a sufficiently long outdoor rated extention cord. Every plug outlet + parking spot combo becomes the equivalent of a gas station, while also being a parking spot. Ordinary parking spots become gas stations. Even if it just ends up being supplementary.
With its supplementary solar and extreme efficiency, able to travel far using little energy, I could see Aptera as being the king of level 1 charging.
Even if it's not super efficient, and can't fully charge the car everyday. The ability to have a permanent trickle charger on the roof of a car seems like it would be worth the money. Especially if the options were regular roof, solar roof for $500, or sunroof for $500(i never liked sun roofs, dealt with leaking problems in the past). Even if the solar panel will only give an extra 5-10 miles over the course of 8-10 hours chargIng(while at work), that would give enough charge to get back home if not being able to plug-in at work.
My ideal vehicle right now is a plug-in hybrid minivan, with a solar roof and hood. The solar roof providing additional power would also extend the range when inside using electronics, etc for family trips. Also for those rare instances when there's major traffic jams and people running out of gas/electricity. If you're sitting there stuck you'll at least know you have something 'trying' to top off the batteries
A minivan covered with solar panels, and sitting in the sun all day, will at least give you several kw hours a day.
Sweet!
Charging 10 miles of range at home takes about 3.2 kWh, which could only cost me about $0.50. It would take over 3 years to pay for itself. A more realistic cost for those panels on the car is something like $2,500 though, not $500, in which case it's at least 10 years payback.
@@phillipsusi1791 That's assuming the panels stay the same price, they are getting cheaper every year
@@realorbital It assumes no such thing. I only said how things stand today. I said nothing about the future.
Love your videos Matt. The effect of having every electric car made, equipped with partial solar power would be tremendous. If one car can get 5 Km’s of range per day imagine what the 126,000 cars sold this year alone would do for the power grid. Every percent of efficiency counts, especially so in an electric car future. If every car was just 1 percent more efficient it could offset billions of dollars of construction costs and eliminate the need for entire new generating station(s). The math works out and I would love to see you follow this line of thinking through. Once standardized into the manufacturing process, like the Light Year, the benefits to the individual driver would also become quite obvious and you could avoid entire “charging days” per year.
The future of solar powered vehicles is just getting started. I work on one of those cars you mentioned in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and our design shares a lot of similarities with the LightyearOne but with about half the weight. We're projecting 1000km of range just with the solar+52kwh battery, versus cars with similar batteries that can get anywhere between 500-700km of range. Solar vehicles are just one step in the right direction to the future of transport. Even just comparing the solar cells on our car made in 2021 vs those made in 2018 there is an impressive improvement in efficiency (from about 22% - 24.3%).
One of the things I do notice with people talking about cars of the future, is that they are always asking redundant questions. We need to rephrase the way we look at transport problems from "how much battery capacity" or "how much can it generate" to "how can we save energy" or "how can we save material". By answering those questions not only are we more sustainable (less batteries for same range that need to be disposed of) but we can extend the uses of our current/old technology and even reuse it.
A good example would be in heavy transportation where, by redesigning a truck to be more aerodynamic, we save more fuel. Plus, when we eventually turn trucks electric, their range is more viable even without technological breakthroughs in battery and motor technology. The less resources we use to achieve the same goals, the better the world will be.
no matter how good the solar panels are when a battery pack for a full electric vehicle its almost double the car value
what a wonderful way to refocus on practical iterative improvements. Kudos on your work
So in the US, when you add all the weight required for safety standards, giving a protective frame around a vehicle I just don't see it in the US. Maybe other countries.
I had a Geo Metro back in the 90s that I bought in 1994 or 1995, and it got about 45 mpg. Then new safety standards came out because small vehicles or sedans were getting crunched by trucks and SUVs, and the next year vehicle dropped down to about 33 mpg. I know this because I rolled the vehicle around a turn where it had been raining and I had no idea since it was night, went into a ditch, hit something in the ditch which flipped my vehicle and put me back on the road, upside down. The vehicle was totaled, and insurance got me a new one from the next year. It was the same specs basically except the curb weight went up because of the reinforced framing. And this is STILL causing small econo cars to get pathetic gas mileage in the US compared to the 80s where a Honda Civic could get you about 50 mpg. Bigger cars get about the same mileage as econo cars.
Just fyi, they need to be built so trying to steal these panel ruins it.
People are doing a lot of damage to ice cars stealing gasoline and catalytic converters. Like 1.5 to 2.5k plugs 1k for deductibles and rental car.
EV’s are a supplement not a replacement. You have the expectation that people curb their desire to be free to travel nearly nonstop because of the inherent limitations that exist with EV. Two people doing road travel would be forced to stop for hours if we only had EV’s whereas with a petroleum vehicle it’s minutes. You mentioned heavy transport- and while Federal law requires those engaged in heavy transport to be out of service for hours, which could coincide with recharge times, it prevents team drivers from meeting delivery deadlines commonly associated with the commercial transportation industry, ie, good chance overnight shipments would disappear with mandatory implementation of EV’s.
Instead of there being such a push to inhibit travel, people such as yourself should concentrate of developing technology to supplement the need for wood products so we can restore the earth’s natural air filter- or even for manmade air filtration. You could also be focuses on requiring industrial operations to sequester its greenhouse causing pollution. Airplanes don’t have to meet “green” standards- why not?
You may be ok with being herded into an urban environment, but I, along with millions of others, are not.
For me in the UK my energy is now £400/month. It’s set to increase in October. Although a lot of that is due to the daily standing charge, as I work from home, I’d love it if after a week or two my car had fully charged. They should all come with trickle solar panels built in.
Panels can drive things like in-car phonecharges or the car alarm, it's just about extracting unused potential energy to extend the excisting capacity of a vehicle.
When I think of solar panels on vehicles, I invision that they would be supplemental to standard plug-in charging or assist in long distance driving. I never really thought of it as the sole charging source.
Now a solar generator on your house along with a supplemental system on your car would be ideal.
Keep in mind, especially with the last one, that cars aren't just to get a person from point A to point B. You gotta get groceries, drive, your kids and their friends, take a bunch of luggage on a trip, etc. So designs that diverge too much of that to optimize range end up far far less attractive than a compromising design
Doesn't seem to stop Miatas, minis, and other 2 seaters from selling. I couldn't see an Aptera as the only car for a family. However outside cities with good public transport, very few families in the suburbs of the US with more than one working member have just 1 car. I am seriously considering an Aptera as my next car. 99% of the time I am driving alone in my car. Why haul around the extra ton of steel (or batteries) of an SUV, gas or electric? My wife has a hybrid SUV that is great for bringing home the TV, or taking road trips.
So proud that you have chosen to save the best for last: the Aptera! Thank you Matt for realizing how special our 3-wheeled aerodynamic marvel is!
I’ve got mine ordered!
Kevin, once my gets delivered, I'll let him have a look see.
@@LarryDickman1 are you in Massachusetts?
@@kevinbleau3846 Yes Sir, central Massachusetts.
3 wheelers: the worst of Handling meets a pothole magnet. Maybe also a reliability nightmare like the slingshot? I'll be laughing don't worry
Hi Matt, great video! When calculating solar generation, it's really useful to calculate the energy per day using 'peak sun hours' in your area. Then you just have to convince people to park in the perfect unobstructed location in their area, and have the car parked facing the right direction..... might be OK for a top off charge at this point..
"Really useful" as in strategically disingenuous?
I used to live in Menlo Park within walking distance of my work. My car sat idle in strong direct sunlight typically 6 days a week at least. I would never have had to worry about charging even with moderate solar panel coverage. I think this is the case for anyone with a car-free commute and outdoor parking.
I still think that there is value in having solar on vehicles, like any Tesla or similar vehicles. The charging of the 12V battery system for accessories and the like still has some draw from the drive battery. If we could lessen that load by charging from solar, that would be great. Also, ventilating the cabin if it is parked in the sun on a hot day would be great. Adding miles to the drive battery would be great, but would only be a last benefit and even if you could add a couple of miles in an entire day, that isn't horrible if you're meeting the other needs.
@@Grauenwolf Thin, flexible solar panels are not "heavy" and can conform to the shape of the car.
@@Grauenwolf Panels are heavy, but they don't have to be panels. We put them in materials that are heavy to offer protection. They would be integrated into existing components, including glass, in a way that looks attractive (to some).
I will add that on traditional ICE vehicles, the power cost of running the alternator to charge the battery is in the 10% ballpark... so it is likely somewhere approaching that for EVs.
Totally agree with you!!
@@Grauenwolf The ones made out of glass panels for houses are heavy; that's true.
However, the solar cells themselves are thin featherweight wafers.
Google some about solar powered planes to see how light they can be. One solar powered plane traveled around the world!
If you go away on holiday or only use the car once a month or go camping the car will slowly bring itself up to full charge. I personally think electric cars in their present form are a STUPID idea. Consider the scalectrix toy car system put two low voltage tracks on the road a tracking system that keeps two pickups on the tracks. No need to have batteries exept for short sections. transmitting power over distance is done by a higher voltage parallel system. Also no land should be getting used for solar panels I would like to see small panels mounted on beside and over the road self constructing gantries. I call these things TREES.
as I live in the Caribbean those numbers for peek conditions seem real cool plus I live on an island so the ranges are not too bad maybe my second car should be EV I think it would work out well great video covering the ups and downs or the market really put my thoughts into getting one for sure now.
I like the idea of solar panels on cars. . They might come in handy when there are no charging stations in range and I need a way to get to one.
Great video. A few things I have found that you might have missed or left out:
The company that makes the Lightyear 0 are overcharging for this model in order to fund research and development of a sub-$30,000 mass-production vehicle.
The Sion also will allow you to use it as a battery to store solar power from your home, power your home, or sell power to other people for their home or EVs.
Thank you for this update on the 𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 company's plans, as well as a few of the added benefits of the 𝙎𝙞𝙤𝙣.
Both these are cars that I might consider buying if they even became available in Australia.
I swear GM initially said they’d have solar panels on the Chevy Volt that would give you 20 miles of range over 8 hours parked outdoors - enough for your commute home. Never happened. Anyone who parks their Tesla outside would love to get more range by just parking. They could even be partially transparent so you could still see a little though the roof.
If nothing else it would make a useful backup to get you those extra couple miles to a charging station if you flatlined the battery - the equivalent of the walk of shame with a jerrycan of gas for a conventional car.
Yes, but if the panels added $5,000 to the cost of the car to generate the equivalent of $1.40 a day of electric, it's going to be 10 years before it pays for itself.
I continue to think ubiquitous stationary solar panels + batteries at a scale to rival daily oil production are the way forward. The only really compelling use-case I can think of are on off-road / camping vehicles. For example, if Mercedes or Tesla ever made an electric Class B RV and absolutely covered the exterior with solar panels, you couldn’t drive in perpetuity, however, you could camp in perpetuity.
It's important to keep in mind that ideal conditions for solar recharging are sub-optimal conditions for battery longevity. Heat is one of the main killers of battery range over time, so it makes leaving the car outside in full sun less appealing. We should factor in the drop in efficiency needed to properly condition the battery of a car sitting outside in full sun during the summer when doing calculations.
I wonder if a even running some fans could actually improve battery life, though solar charging.
Imagine putting your ev car in work parking lot and instead of hurting the battery life due to the hot sun and concrete. Instead the car ran cooling and still added 5 miles to your range.
Though we are definitely on leading edge of solar. So can’t wait till we get solar to the point of outdoor electric devices not having solar as old fashioned.
I think it all depends on each person's needs, if I was commuting everyday for miles to work I would just sit and wait a decade or two for the technology to improve, but there are many people with different kinds of jobs that would already benefit a lot. Me for example, being a musician I would only need to use the car on weekends to get to the gigs and bring all my equipment (that would be impossible to walk around with), but on a daily basis I would mostly use public transport. Imagine all the seafarers in the world too, they would drive to whatever port and park their cars for weeks or even months in some cases while working onboard. When they come back from the trip their car would be fully charged each and every time. Even tourists that park the car in airports for a week while on vacation....The list goes on and on
Lot's of parking lots on airports are (underground) garages. Which will result in 0% charging... So it's not perfect (yet) by a long shot. Parking under a tree? No charge. Parking in the shade of a building? No charge. Parking in a garage? No charge. Dirty roof? Low charge.
Once solar panels have double or triple the efficiency it gets more interesting.
The way I see it, it is better to get even a small amount of energy via the sun because that adds up with all of the cars parked during the day (some people still have to go into the office or factory), but it might also help alleviate some of that rang anxiety. Even if it does not actually help that much, picking a parking spot that has full sun while you eat if there is no charging station might might help your mind get over the fact that you are not charging quicly off the grid. And while transparent cells are less efficient, I imagine they generate some power. Yes, it might be just enough to power a nintendo switch on the go. But I would rather have 18 watts than 0 watts. But, that is just me. Still, a great video. I have been wondering about something like this for a bit.
I'd say it's best for vampire drain
Just ensuring that something like the 50 watt drain in old leafs doesnt accidently kills the battery would be well worth it
That sounds good until you see the extra cost associated with putting enough solar panels on a car to matter. The cost to benefit ratio is way off.
so agree
@@Anothernerdyloser314 it's not worth it at all, yes
That's why i suggested countering vampire drain at most
That might sound great but reality is that you could use the money/energy in a better way by putting solar on your house.
I said this with Jason’s video a while back, but solar panels being on the roof should be looked at as a way to augment range and to earn back range while they aren’t in use.
Even 6-7km of extra range earned back while people are at work and the car is sitting there in the summer adds up very quickly, it also has the added benefit of taking more load off the electrical grid and making regular charging less frequent.
They are a passive benefit to BEV that make them more practical and would go a ways to easing range anxiety.
Especially for those of us in colder climates who worry a lot about parasitic loss due to the cold.
Hell even modern cars can benefit as many suffer from parasitic drain from all the modern technology, solar panels could offset the need for a battery tender if it’s not driven for a week or two.
Solar panels to run a fan when the car is parked in the sun is a good enough reson in itself.
@@gustavlicht9620 eh, seems excessive. If it works, more power to you.
@@MrGamelover23 Not really excessive. Sometimes you need the air on if you have a child or dog inside, but don't want to leave the car running. Could be useful in that circumstance.
@@Ceece20 oh yeah that's a great idea.
I've been watching Aptera closely for years. I remain cautiously optimistic about their business, they look great on paper, and interviews with their engineers give me confidence, however the car itself has never released crash test safety data, nor basic things like how 3-wheeled suspension makes people car sick or not.
That's what I was thinking.. A quick lookabout and apparently they are making good use of materials and intend to do full crash testing. I have to wait and see on that one. Too many people abusing hemi-Chargers that might plow into me to take it on faith.
Over time though, it's possible this could be a winning combo if cars overall start to weigh less. At the moment, some EVs weigh 5,000 lbs (overcoming range issues due to weight by adding more weight in batteries). If the prevalent solution becomes lighter cars, Aptera's type of vehicle could effectively become safer (assuming it's not quite as durable from the get go).
That's concerning. Heavier vehicles could tear this vehicle to shreds...
APTERA is a FRAUD , go look at their FINANCIALS.
do your own RESEARCH.
They are doing full safety testing soon despite not legally being required; this is normal since their is no point in safety testing a prototype - it needs to be a production intent build. Crumple zones, air bags and a roof strong enough to hold ~16000lb (2 elephants). Based on their track work with the beta vehicle the suspension seems solid - not sure why you would specifically expect 3-wheelers to cause car sickness.
@@ccibinel Usually it's cars that cause car sickness XD.
I like the idea of even slapping them on a hybrid, the added benefit of extra power is useful. Even if youre stranded just wait a bit and it should give you enough range to at least get off the interstate and to a charge station (3ish miles im thinking)
I agree. PHEV vehicles only get about 40-60km on the battery, so an extra 5-10km is actually a really big deal for them.
Probably worthwhile in sunnier climes but in northern Europe I doubt whether the additional cost and weight would make it viable. The rooftop array on my house has generated enough to run a lightbulb over the past week 🌧️☹️
nope, not even at the equator
The thing is the solar panels work wherever there is sun, so it is effectively a always with you slow charger. Which has some real benefit for dealing with range anxiety since it provides another hedge for dealing with running out of power.
I'm sorry. You lose. Please play again.
Unless you are prepared to put your car on a rotating platform for a week, you are NOT getting any actual benefit from solar panels.
@@protoborg Wrong. Is a home with solar panels on a rotating platform for a week? No? So the roof mounted solar panels don't provide any benefit either? Oh dear. You better go educate those solar engineers.
Hi Dwight. Spot-on. Like carrying a spare can of gas in the boot so you don't run out and have to push the flivver into Joe's Gas Station. Well, the wife pushes, I steer. Cheers mate, P.R.
It has been my dream to have a solar powered car for over 20 years. I remember seeing a cool looking one as a child that looked like a wing from an air craft.
Completely solar powered will only work on the scale of bicycle construction vehicle weights. People have used recumbent trikes with a solar panel roof and a 250 watt hub motor. Some who have travelled long distances towed a trailer with another solar panel on. They would have had a larger motor- possibly 500 or 750 watts.
Yes I WOULD like to own a solar powered car - particularly the APTERA offering. Because I rarely travel more than 10 Km per day on average, this type of car is the classic 2-seater, go anywhere, mom & pop retired folks car. I REALLY like the huge flat space in the rear that can substitute for a tent at a pinch.
Provided I leave it out in the weather and wash it once in a while, I would personally never need to charge it.
Think of the strain on electrical reticulation that is "removed" for those that still want an EV but travel vast distances - every month - if 'high adoption' is achieved by those who find the Aptera energy profile suitable.
Like your videos Sir. Keep on truckin'.
I can still see having a trickle charging capability as very useful. Great video!
would be great for long-term parking no need for charger on vacation. I have this problem with my Tesla all cheap parking have non charger. so i have to take the expensive parking with outlet at Airport
I think the answer always comes back as, what is the average cost per KWh over the total lifecycle of the vehicle compared to the average cost per KWh of stationary charging stations. I think the answer is always going to come back that it would be cheaper to invest in the stationary storage efficiency (i.e put the same money into stationary solar panels with battery storage). This might change if the stationary storage gets taxed to pay for roads and maintenance, but right now I think it’s a sales gimmick. It’s an expensive way to get a little more range on a long trip and would only be the case in sunny weather.
I’m interested if ion collectors would provide a more cost effective solution under more operational conditions. Special ion collecting paint layers for wind, ion collectors on grills, static electric capture for tires and shocks. There are so many interesting possibilities.
In short: solar panels are expensive. A car isn't large enough to get all of the power it needs. Trying to wrap a car in panels reduces the effectiveness of the panels. You just need more surface space than you have on a car. It's far cheaper and more effective to put solar panels on your garage or home and recharge the car from energy stored there. And that's not even considering when a car gets into an accident and those expensive solar body panels need replacing. Or just the dings and scratches of air moving over the panels when you drive. Or pebbles. Or hail. Etc. Plus solar panels add weight, to an already heavy electric car thanks to the battery. Solar-powered cars are a bad idea until the tech improves significantly.
I've watched several videos about the Aptera in the past few days. It's a very interesting approach. I really hope they reach the production phase and that the vehicle delivers the numbers that are being projected.
Could prevent you from getting totally stuck: once your range gets near zero, just pull over into an open spot, let the car solar charge for a while, then drive slowly to the nearest charger. Not ideal, but you’re mobile…
If the drive began driving more efficiently earlier, he may not even need to stop to recharge.
The pain and suffering some people are ready to tolerate not to have to use public transport...
@@NGC1433 Hopefully, you live in a city with a highly developed public transit system. Unfortunately, not all of us do…
Thats not have solar charges work, buddy.
@@mrcloud9750 That’s not how English grammar works, buddy.
I look forward to increased efficiency of solar panels. Another thing that might have an impact would be 100% self-driving cars. If it were very reliable, you could utilize the space of the windshield and windows as regular solar panels to charge the vehicle. Even without that, you could have a flexible screen solar surface that extends while the car is parked to utilize the window space for solar ... and keep the car a bit cooler while parked.
Seems like a nice idea
whoa that's a really cool idea, i wonder if they ever thought of this
check out nasa's rosa or irosa.
Transparent solar is a thing now too which could be viable for cars. I am also seeing articles of newly developed solar which has increased efficiency, alongside new battery technologies.
I am parking my car in an underground garage, having long dark winters ... no real usage for me :)
To me, the biggest downside to a solar-equipped car is that it would incentivie you parking it in in the sun on a hot day, rather than parking it in the shade. This could lead to increased wear and tear on the car, everything from the paint, to the interior, to the battery pack. So I'd be more excited about a carport with solar cells on it that you plug the car into. Perhaps it feeds into the grid when the car is not present, or into the car when the car is plugged in (I am lucky enough to live somewhere that has net metering).
Where a solar-equipped car would be a net benefit, IMO, is when you have to drive it in the sun, or when parking it in the shade isn't an option for some reason.
Cool idea about the carport.
@@marjohnsmusings3222 Thanks. I'm thinking of pricing out the cost to make one. :)
This is really good - wondered about the possibility of having solar cells on a car to power it. I was also wonder how much more expensive it would be to fix a solar panel based part if something happened - like, for example, a collision
That is a very important concern - ease/cost of repairing. This is something that would matter, like if you get the car 2nd hand, whether or not you can cost efficiently work on or replace the existing panels. That would go a long way in reducing ownership costs overall and make the cars practical.
You don’t need a solar roof on your car, if you already have a large solar array on your home’s roof that:
1. Powers your home
2. Packs excess energy into the home battery
3. Charges the car with excess when the battery is full
4. Feeds what is left into the grid to make you money
Basically what I was thinking. I telecommute, so my car sits outside my house all day. It would make more sense to stick a car-sized solar panel + requisite electronics next to where I park instead of carting the panels around when I drive. Cheaper setup too. Your model works better, is larger, and requires more battery storage (but not gobs), but would be better for someone who has to park their car at work all day. Likewise, I'm not the best target societally since I don't drive as many miles a week anyway.
So much comes back to more efficient/less costly energy storage and how big a gamechanger in that segment would be for things like home solar.
What about people who live in their cars? It might be nice if most cars could someday affordably heat and cool themselves to some extent using solar energy.
I think they could succeed in using solar to free a driver from using high speed chargers on a regular basis, basically only on long trips. By trickling in power for a few hours while the car is parked at one's job, you might be able to more easily get away with slow charging overnight at home. That could prolong battery life.
I mean unless you have a fairly long commute you can do that already
As my car sits in the sun for 10 hours while at work my batteries are charging, enough to get me home and back to work the next day. Works for me.
Panels that can extend out while the vehicle is parked would allow a much larger surface area. Like VW Electric Van with solar awnings on both side would get you some pretty significant usable space.
And the people parked next to you?
Sounds like a great idea and solution, rather than all these negative no hoper's comments. It only needs someone to implement it though. If I was an engineer I'd definitely give your idea a go.
@@jayvlugt3309 Im an engineer. I would never give that idea a go
@@t_c5266 Being an engineer doesn't make you a great decision maker, that's the problem with this world. Too many proud and greedy people.
@@jayvlugt3309 it actually makes me a brilliant decision maker. Because I can assess the feasibility, cost, implementation, manufacturability, efficiency, and impact of ideas like this very easily. Instead of just being a common peasant who thinks bad ideas are brilliant without thinking about every aspect of it 😉
Great video once again Matt! For the moment, it seems that the best option if you want a mix of electric vehicle and solar is to get an EV and get solar panels on your roof for charging ☀️🏡⚡🔌🚘
I agree, but one thing that bugs me is I usually charge my EV while I sleep at night, but my solar panels peak during the day. So to actually use my solar to power my car I would need a big battery at home to store the solar and then transfer it to my car later. This adds an extra AC-DC and then DC-AC conversion, each of which adds equipment cost and several percent of energy conversion losses. (In total solar generates DC, the built-in inverter converts to AC to send to the grid/power wall battery, the power wall converts to DC to go into the battery, then to AC to go back into the house/car, and the car converts back to DC for its battery.) Putting the solar directly on the car can cut out all of the DC-AC-DC losses (and equipment costs), leaving just the DC from the solar panels, a DC regulator to manage the input to the batteries, and the batteries themselves. (A nice option once house batteries are mature would be the ability to hook up directly to DC solar and provide a DC output for car charging, but right now I believe they are only set up for AC-in AC-out.)
@@yttriustelluri Great explanation of the main issue with charging your EV with solar! What if I tell you that this nice option already exists, this is what we bring to EV users with our r16! 😉
I think it would be helpful in a disaster, or enough to cover your commute. I don’t think filling up the battery from empty on solar is necessary, just topping it off.
I live in a small rural town and work approximately a mile from my home. I ride my ebike to work as often as possible, but rain/snow/etc make that less than half of the time year-round, and I'd love a more robust option to round out the rest of the year and to make longer trips on electric power an option. Though I would actually prefer something more exotic (it's a draw for me, not off-putting), even the "slapped on as an afterthought" example that only gives 2 miles of extra range a day would actually fully charge what I use most days. Even for that model, I would only need to plug it into my 110v garage outlet once or twice a month. I know that's an unusual case for most Americans, but I seriously doubt I'm unique.
To accommodate solar-paneled cars though, businesses will need to reserve roof-top parking spaces for such solar supplemented vehicles. In some businesses there are open-air lots, but many have closed or high-rise lots which effectively would eliminate the value of the expensive solar augmentation of the vehicle.
Since most people wouldn't want to park in the sun, it shouldn't be that difficult for the top level of parking garages to be used by vehicles with solar roofs.
I’m so glad you are encouraging people to learn more about solar engineering. We MUST invest in these young solar technologies and technologists. I’m going to check out the companies you mention!
Some part of me like the idea of having solar as a back up or reserve for regular EVs. To avoid having the fear of stopping in the middle of the road
Or charging while you're in traffic.
This was a solid, well-presented video. I invested in Aptera a year ago personally. I’m excited for the future.
Imagine paying taxes on sunlight. That's the world we are heading into.
I feel like focusing more on how to harness solar energy more efficiently would be the key to revolutionizing the whole solar power automobile industry. But that will come with its own set of limitations to it.
Si solar cells are already very close to their thermodynamic limit of about 30%. Changing the solar cell efficiency by an extra 3-5% won’t do much.
@@andresmolinavillarino3312 actually there is anotjer video on this channel, where a guy invented this new material that's more flexible than the current solar panels and has much higher efficiency. You can look it up, I was also amused that just when you think something couldn't happen, somebody does it. That's what interests me about science and curiosity 😋
Aptera is by far the coolest one out there with greatest efficiency!
That was my first thought on seeing the thumbnail. For solar on cars to work in any small way at all, it's still got to be via a total rethink of the automotive form factor, just like Aptera. And even then, I don't know. And I don't expect sudden, insane leaps in PV panel efficiency that'd change that.
Aptera is a UA-camr more than a car manufacturer at this point. Lots of PR but where are the cars?
@@FSXgta They are a small company, going public soon, then the cars will roll off the assembly lines. Maybe end of this year? They are legit.
They look DOA. Who is buying those things? No one I know in EV space....
@@laloajuria4678 I agree its not for everyone but for those of us who appreciate efficiency it is the holy grail of automotive tech. Check it out, it is larger and roomier than pictures suggest.
My current roadblock for getting an EV is that I live in an apartment, and have no say over getting a hookup in the parking lot.
As I drive maybe 100 miles a week (most of it on one weekend day) a solar option would work really well for me.
Great video, thank you for that. I would have loved to learn more about what actually sets designs "from the ground up" apart from the more conventional cars with just slapped on panels. The difference in numbers seems staggering, yet the "how" doesn't really come through. Keep up the great work!
i would suspect that the majority of that difference is weight and air resistance optimization and of course maximizing surface area (and minimizing shadowing over surface)
both of those cars are relatively small and very curvy (in the case of the aspera im not even sure if it has capacity for storage)
essentially - if you half the mass you half the energy needed to move it, which doubles the range your available energy will get you (in an idealized szenario - real world is not gonna be that simple or optimal, but the core idea holds)
that of course makes the small amount of energy gained from solar cells on such a car more viable
It's never good to have the interior of your car heat up to 120+ F. How about using the power from the panel to keep it at a more reasonable temp?
Another thought for solar panels is the cost of repair from a “fender bender” that does damage to the panels. It would seem the repair cost would double or triple a normal repair.
these kooky liberal ideas aren't anything anyone can afford...a car like that would likely cost 100,000+. what a goofy idea...
@@michaelfried3123 I bet there were people that sounded like you do now when the first car came out. Solar is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce as time goes on. You'd also be surprised just how much gets damaged on fender benders these days: AC, sound equipment, power windows, camera lines, etc.
@@seancutt793 I doubt it. There weren't that many 1%er's back then. Stay liberal my friend...dream on.
@@michaelfried3123 1885 is widely regarded as the year the first "practical" car was invented Economic inequality was massive back then. Cars didn't become widely affordable until the 1960's. Obviously, most people couldn't afford cars back then.
You honestly look at that history and don't think it very very likely that people were saying "No one can afford that"
@@seancutt793 its really a grape to a grapefruit comparison, yeah both are fruit but that's where the comparisons end.
One thing I've thought of is why not utilize the energy of the tire rotation to charge the batteries. Kinda like one of the radios where you have to spin the handle to power?
for now, having pv installed on the house and generate power to charge your EV is the most feasible way to tackle this challenge. using mass transport is also the answer for far destination. its not about one solution for all...
Most people are at work while the panels are producing most of their power.
@@orkin2525 use battery then
@@lazuardiinggil that would waste an additional 10-20% of the power produced, and add cost that together add years to the payback equation.
A $30-60k car with a $15-30k solar system and $5-15k storage system is not a viable option for most people. Impossible for renters and most people with out single family homes with dedicated parking.
@@orkin2525 the point here is to reduce carbon and to kickstart mass implementation of green energy. If you use economic calculation, then everything is not viable now. Keep using coal and oil if you want it cheap.
@@lazuardiinggil a 50 unit apartment building will never have enough solar panels to offset it power use, much less charge vehicles. The ratio of roof area to unit goes way down with every story. Or just build nuclear power plants and charge regardless of weather and time of day.
I've had a commutes to work that were 2 miles or 5 miles for many years. My car sat out in a large asphalt parking lot all day at work. Riding a bike was terrifying with all those angry folks driving around me, so car was pretty much required to be safe. Traffic often resulted in speeds of 45 mph at most on the highway. A light weight two passenger vehicle with solar on the roof would have been ideal. The world needs to start thinking about 900 lb solar commuter cars as the new normal and stop having one dude commuting alone in a diesel F-250 club cab that he owns so he can go camping for two weeks every summer.
Even if a solar panel integrated into a roof the an EV or hybrid that charged enough for 1km per day would add up over time to make it worthwhile. Additional to this, what about if you would never have to worry about your battery going completely flat if you went away and were not going to drive your car for a couple of weeks? A trickle charge to offset the drain of the instruments? Even after breaking the illusion that solar cells will charge the driving needs of the average person, I think they are a useful addition.
2016 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid had an option of a solar panel on the roof.
Added about 5km per day.
Later higher efficiency flexible panels could do better.
I don't expect cars to be fully powered by solar. But if they could keep the battery charged while the battery temperatures are controlled that would be excellent step. Slight heating/cooling here and there to maintain optimum battery life would be great way to use car solar roof energy.
A small 2 Watt panel would be perfect for most cars to keep the battery charge up while parked. Most cars draw from the battery even when off, which isn't a problem when used every or every other day, but when it goes for a week or two, it can be a problem. So a small panel would offset that draw, and keep the battery up. The only additional thing is to have a diode so the panel can't drain the battery at night. 2 Watts won't require a charge controller. I wish Ford would do that to their smaller cars, as those batteries are small to begin with!
5:19 And that's without even accounting for bird shit.
The Aptera three-wheeled car is REALLY compelling. It's the first time I have seen a car where I could actually see a value in a 3-wheeled vehicle design. Would happily sacrifice "style preference" for that level of efficiency.
I live in MN, where in January, it can be very cold, yet often clear and sunny. My w/mi rises when the heater and seats are used, when regenerative braking is off, etc. I've often thought solar could be used to simply keep the batteries and the cab interior warmed, if nothing else. Basically, a non-plug in, trickle charger. That alone might be worth the extra cost.
It makes more sense to view solar as an offset for everything else using energy in the car besides the drivetrain, I.e. climate control, radio/nav, adas, 12v battery maintenance, power drain while parked, sentry mode, etc. Essentially the best use case for solar IMO is to provide energy for all non driving energy use so EVs are actually using the full pack energy for motion so the small percents add up so your more likely to achieve the rated range in a broader set of circumstances.
This is a decent way to look at it as long as the person’s car parking habits are in line with this.
Someone who lives/works in the suburbs so their car is often parked in full daylight during the day every day of the week? Yea this makes sense.
Someone who lives and works in an urban environment so their car is parked in a covered parking lot everyday? They’re better off not wasting their money.
So I guess what I’m saying is that people still need to put the same thought into it that they do for all renewable energy sources.
Drop in the bucket.
Are you suggesting a secondary, isolated battery exclusively for accessories? Added complexity, added weight, extra cost, etc.
Like having a seperate tiny engine and gas tank just for spinning the power steering, alternator, and AC.
Respectfully disagree.
@@dr0n3droid that is not at all what I’m suggesting.
@@howdy3423 Perhaps I misunderstood. Please explain? If accessories only account for a fraction of a percent of wattage consumed, what's the point?
I love this car but I don't have enough money for it,
My salary is not enough to buy this car
Have you not hear about crypto
@@jamesdanny3137 I have hear about crypto I watch so many news online about crypto and is very profitable
that time, I was planning to buy bugatti but I don't have enough money I tried crypto trading and I invest in much as $5,000 but now I have a lot of money for it
When it comes to the world of investing, most people don't know where to start. Fortunately, great investors of the past and present can provide us with guidance
Great video. In addition to solar-powered EVs, we'll also eventually see improvements with the regenerative braking. Together these will go a long way (pun intended) towards having a car we won't need to refuel very often.