Solar Powered Cars 

Are You Ready For The Genx?

As their name suggests, solar powered cars are vehicles that are powered or driven as a result of the energy derived from the sun.

At present, the world is encountering an acute fuel shortage as a result of exhausting petroleum reserves inside the earth. In addition to this, the last 2-3 decades have witnessed a stupendous increase in the average consumption of petroleum products across the world due to a sharp increase in the number of people using automobiles for their transportation.

As a result, automobile manufacturers are now trying to develop automobiles that can run on alternate energy resources. An effective answer to the ongoing problem of fuel crisis can be cars that are powered by solar energy.

Solar cars can be aptly termed as the next generation cars. There are three major components present in these cars that include solar panels that are present on the upper surface of the car, electrical system that is connected to the solar panel and the car design. In order to drive these cars, one would require electrical power generated by harnessing the solar energy using solar panels. These solar panels are made of serially connected photovoltaic cells. These photovoltaic cells capture the sunlight and energy and convert that into electrical power. The energy that is produced by these panels is then stored in specially designed 48-volt batteries. The power that is stored in these batteries eventually drives the vehicle. Batteries that are most commonly used inside these solar vehicles are usually long-lasting and can generate power even during nights when there is no solar energy. Some varieties include lead-acid batteries, Lithium-ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, Ni-Cd batteries and Lithium-polymer batteries. In terms of design, solar cars are usually manufactured in such a way that they are aerodynamically as perfect as possible so that the friction is minimized while driving. Also, the materials that are used in these vehicles are extremely lightweight

Use of solar energy for running cars is extremely beneficial for the environment and has a very promising future prospect. Some of those advantages have been listed below.

• Solar energy can be considered as a clean source of energy because combustion of solar power doesn’t emit any fumes or gases. Obnoxious and harmful gases released due to fuel combustion in the automobiles have resulted in several environmental problems such as pollution, global warming and green house effect. Even the ozone layer encircling the planet Earth has started depleting due to increased concentration of these gases in the atmosphere. Usage of solar power in the automobiles is an effective solution for these environment-related problems.
• Another aspect that is associated with automobile fuel combustion is the increased risk of several respiratory disorders and other health-related problems. All these problems can be controlled effectively by using solar energy in the automobiles.
• With the use of solar energy as a power source, one has to no longer worry about forming long queues at the fuel stations to get the gas filled into the car.
• Also, one can never encounter the problem of running out of fuel with solar powered cars. Solar energy in cars is also an effective saving option because one needs not spend any more on petrol or gas.

At present cars powered by solar energy are far from being commercially viable. They are being manufactured either as a part of promoting the brand value of the company or for racing purposes. In a true sense, solar powered cars are those that depend entirely on the solar energy as the only power source. There is a lot that need to be done in this regard so as to make a vehicle a truly solar powered one. This is because there cars need a great deal of improvement in terms of their design and manufacturing so as to harness the solar energy in an effective way. Another disadvantage is that the power generated in these cars is capable of carrying just 2 people. Also, these vehicles are not much effective in terms of mileage and speed.

It is just a matter of time before solar powered cars revolutionize the future of automobile industry.
.