Ford develops solar powered car for everyday use
Ford
has developed a concept model that runs primarily on solar power,
creating a vehicle that is not dependent on traditional energy sources.
CNBC
Ford develops solar powered car for everyday use
By: Philip LeBeau | CNBC Auto and Airline Industry Reporter
Ford has developed a concept model that
runs primarily on solar power, which could bring the world one step
closer to having a vehicle for everyday driving that is not dependent on
traditional energy sources.
The C-MAX Solar Energi Concept is a collaboration between Ford, SunPower Corp. and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The concept car is expected to be unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The C-MAX Solar Energi Concept is a collaboration between Ford, SunPower Corp. and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The concept car is expected to be unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Image from Ford.
C-MAX Solar Energi Concept car
Like all concept models, the C-MAX Solar
Energi Concept may never be built or sold to the public. However, many
of the features and technologies we see in current vehicles were once
shown for the first time in concept models years ago.
Harnessing the sun's power
Ford says the C-MAX Solar Energi Concept would be powered by energy it collects using a special concentrator that acts like a magnifying glass.
(Read more: Auto industry acceleration into the new year)
The concentrator would take energy from sun light and direct intense rays to panels on the vehicle's roof.
In theory, the C-MAX Solar Energi could fully recharge itself without the vehicle having to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. Ford believes sunshine could power up to 75 percent of all trips made in a solar hybrid vehicle, though the automaker does not give a distance for those trips.
Harnessing the sun's power
Ford says the C-MAX Solar Energi Concept would be powered by energy it collects using a special concentrator that acts like a magnifying glass.
(Read more: Auto industry acceleration into the new year)
The concentrator would take energy from sun light and direct intense rays to panels on the vehicle's roof.
In theory, the C-MAX Solar Energi could fully recharge itself without the vehicle having to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. Ford believes sunshine could power up to 75 percent of all trips made in a solar hybrid vehicle, though the automaker does not give a distance for those trips.
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Solar powered cars not new
Solar powered cars have been developed and driven around the world for years, but almost exclusively in contests or research programs designed to show how far cars could travel without gas. In most cases, the cars have been small capsules designed to hold only a driver.
(Read more: Car tech: Not just a Google vs. Apple story)
The challenge has long been finding a way to harness enough solar energy to power a vehicle that could be used every day and carry more than just the driver.
—By CNBC's Phil LeBeau. Follow him on Twitter
Questions? Comments? BehindTheWheel@cnbc.com.
end quote from:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101304906?__source=yahoo|finance|headline|headline|story&par=yahoo&doc=101304906|Ford%20develops%20solar%20power
As an intuitive I can see this idea (only with all upward or outward facing car surfaces being solar cells) (not just the roof) as the future for solar powered cars. Between parking your car in the sun and plugging it in overnight most people wouldn't have to use any gas at all (at least in driving to and from work).
Another factor will be the constant quantum jumps in efficiency solar cells are going through every year now from researchers all over the world. It is said that the solar cell is now going through the same types of quantum jumps that the silicon computer chip went through between 1980 and the present.
Solar powered cars have been developed and driven around the world for years, but almost exclusively in contests or research programs designed to show how far cars could travel without gas. In most cases, the cars have been small capsules designed to hold only a driver.
(Read more: Car tech: Not just a Google vs. Apple story)
The challenge has long been finding a way to harness enough solar energy to power a vehicle that could be used every day and carry more than just the driver.
—By CNBC's Phil LeBeau. Follow him on Twitter
@LeBeauCarNews.
Questions? Comments? BehindTheWheel@cnbc.com.
end quote from:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101304906?__source=yahoo|finance|headline|headline|story&par=yahoo&doc=101304906|Ford%20develops%20solar%20power
As an intuitive I can see this idea (only with all upward or outward facing car surfaces being solar cells) (not just the roof) as the future for solar powered cars. Between parking your car in the sun and plugging it in overnight most people wouldn't have to use any gas at all (at least in driving to and from work).
Another factor will be the constant quantum jumps in efficiency solar cells are going through every year now from researchers all over the world. It is said that the solar cell is now going through the same types of quantum jumps that the silicon computer chip went through between 1980 and the present.
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