Solar Cars – Hybrid Cars

The new age of cars - the Hybrid Car

With the constant increase in gas prices more than likely most of us have heard or seen the term hybrid use over and over referring to vehicles. So what exactly are hybrid cars? They are supposed to save us money by using electricity instead of gas right?

Well, after reading this article you should have a clear understand of what hybrid cars are exactly and how can actually help us save money. You will also learn a quick overview in the history of hybrid cars and the changes that they have over gone throughout the years and how these changes have effected the efficient and cost of hybrid cars.

So what exactly are hybrid cars? A hybrid car is a car that uses a conventional propulsion system which in turn uses a rechargeable energy storage system which results in a better fuel economy than all conventional cars with no restrictions on the range due to a charging unit much like a battery electric vehicle which requires batteries to be charged by an external source.

In the late 1990s we saw the release of the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius which was the first time hybrid vehicles became available to the public. Such vehicles have gone through a number of changes throughout the years.

Solar cars are a little different than electric hybrid cars. While electric hybrid cars need to be charged by an external source solar cars do not. Solar cars are electric vehicles which are powered by solar energy which is captured by using solar panels that are positioned on the surface of the car. By using photovoltaic cells the solar vehicle is capable of directly converting the sun’s energy into electrical energy. Solar vehicles are not currently available widely to the open public and are often used in experiments which are often sponsored by various government agencies. As new advancements become to light these vehicles will become more and more available to the public.

Solar cars have implemented technology from various industries including aerospace, bicycle, alternative energy and automotive industries. Solar cars are designed based on the energy input into the car whether it is batteries or solar power. This often limits the design opportunities for solar vehicles. The majority of solar cars built have been used in solar car races. While most of the solar cars are only capable of holding one person some have been built with the capabilities of holding a drive and a passenger. The creation of solar cars gives hope that one day solar powered vehicles will be available to anyone with the money to buy one.

Solar race cars are generally built with all the components featured in conventional vehicles including brakes, turn signals, accelerator, ventilation, rear view mirrors, and sometimes even cruise controls. Like all race cars, solar race cars are almost always built with a radio inside for communication between the driver and their support crew. Just like conventional vehicles solar vehicles are commonly built with gauges inside the vehicles which show various statistics of the vehicle. To ensure the safety of the driver and the condition of the vehicle the driver should keep a constant eye on these gauges incase unexpected problems occur.

A Solar car is equipped with a solar array which consist of hundred of photovoltaic solar cells which are capable of converting sunlight into electricity which is used to power the solar vehicle. Polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, and gallium arsenide are the more common solar cell technologies employed by solar vehicles. The amount of electricity captured during a particular time depends on a number of factors including the current weather condition, the position of the sun, and of course the total capacity of the solar array. A good array is capable of producing over two kilowatts at noon on a bright sunny day.