Posted by Jim Wilkins on August 13, 2009, 4:34 pm
On Aug 9, 11:04pm, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
> ...
> >BTW, how much do you suppose a prototype of a regular car costs?
> Many have been built for MUCH LESS.
> My electric (battery only) 4 passenger coupe was built for a total
> outlay of significantly less than $000, including all the stuff I
> tried that did NOT work as desired, in the early eighties.
There is a tremendous, perhaps 100:1 cost difference between a one-off
home project vehicle made from cheap surplus parts and one that is
designed for production and to meet specs and regulations.
jsw, who does both.
Posted by Eeyore on August 13, 2009, 3:23 pm
cjt wrote:
> Eeyore wrote:
> > "misterfact@yahoo.com" wrote:
> >
> >>Hello;
> >>
> >> I am still looking to buy the following:
> >>
> >>1 a QUALITY electric car.
> >>
> >>2. The car must have a removable battery pack.
> >>
> >>3. The car must have a wheeled dolly to remove the pack (if needed)
> >>Or I could probably fabricate my own dolly.
> >>
> >>4. solar panels to charge one pack during the day, while I'm out
> >>driving the car.
> >>
> >>5. I suppose a large capacitor could be charged by the panels; then
> >>the charged dumped into the car's batteries at night without having to
> >>transfer battery packs.
> >>
> >>The whole package must have a good warranty.
> >>
> >>There is no reason to plug the car into the grid when one or two
> >>day's of sunlight or cloudy bright sunlight on 1200watts of solar panels
> >>
> >>can do the job
> >
> >
> > Vast mistake in the above assumption. Learn something about insolation, PV
> > panel efficiency and power required to travel a sensible distance in a
> > vehicle.
> >
> >
> >
> >>There is no reason why consumers should have to put together or
> >>fabricate the above with no guarantee of success.
> >
> > It would void the laws of physics, given a sensible range.
> >
> >>Anyone building a 100% solar powered car out there like this with a
> >>GOOD WARRANTY?
> >
> > No, because it can't be done.
> >
> > Graham
> There have been experimental (small) cars built that run solely on
> solar power.
You mean the ultra-light types that can only carry one person in desert-like
locations?
> If that's possible with current low-efficiency devices,
> surely it should not violate the laws of physics to do something on
> a somewhat larger scale with, in effect, double or more panel size
> (i.e. one on the car and another at home).
That's a completely different matter but if the panels are at home, how can they
charge the car at the same time ? So you'd need batteries to store energy (
which require periodic expensive replacement ) and an inverter to charge another
battery in the vehicle.
> I note that the OP did not limit the size of the panels at home to just what
> would fit on
> a car.
> Perhaps it's just a lack of imagination, motivation, time and economics
> holding us back, rather than the laws of physics?
The efficiency of solar panels IS determined by physics. As a result, huge leaps
in efficiency are never going to be viable.
Trust me, it will NEVER happen. In the meantime the 40% efficient diesel engine
for automotive use is on the horizon. Ships' diesels get significantly better
efficiencies too.
Graham
--
due to the hugely increased level of spam please make the obvious adjustment to
my email address
Posted by harry on August 13, 2009, 6:32 pm
wrote:
> "misterf...@yahoo.com" wrote:
> > Hello;
> > I am still looking to buy the following:
> > 1 a QUALITY electric car.
> > 2. The car must have a removable battery pack.
> > 3. The car must have a wheeled dolly to remove the pack (if needed)
> > Or I could probably fabricate my own dolly.
> > 4. solar panels to charge one pack during the day, while I'm out
> > driving the car.
> > 5. I suppose a large capacitor could be charged by the panels; then
> > the charged dumped into the car's batteries at night without having to
> > transfer battery packs.
> > The whole package must have a good warranty.
> > There is no reason to plug the car into the grid when one or two
> > day's of sunlight or cloudy bright sunlight on 1200watts of solar panels
> > can do the job
> Vast mistake in the above assumption. Learn something about insolation, PV
> panel efficiency and power required to travel a sensible distance in a
> vehicle.
> > There is no reason why consumers should have to put together or
> > fabricate the above with no guarantee of success.
> It would void the laws of physics, given a sensible range.
> > Anyone building a 100% solar powered car out there like this with a
> > GOOD WARRANTY?
> No, because it can't be done.
> Graham
> --
> due to the hugely increased level of spam please make the obvious
> adjustment to my email address
Not quite true. A solar powered car was driven across Australia a few
years back. And someone has built a solar powered aircraft. Not very
prctical vehicals though. I suppose they'd work well if you lived in
Death Valley.
I believe the US military is working on a drone aircraft that never
needs to land (solar power & batteries)
Posted by Michael B on August 15, 2009, 2:40 pm
> I believe the US military is working on a drone aircraft that never
> needs to land (solar power & batteries)
Ummm, not quite. They are indeed working on a solar-assisted
version to extend range, but I doubt that anyone wants to try to
load it with enough batteries to keep it flying till the next day.
They are also working on being able to land it easier with onboard
sensors and listening devices, and batteries could help it resume
flight with minimal noise.
Posted by Jim Wilkins on August 15, 2009, 4:42 pm
> > I believe the US military is working on a drone aircraft that never
> > needs to land (solar power & batteries)
> Ummm, not quite. They are indeed working on a solar-assisted
> version to extend range, but I doubt that anyone wants to try to
> load it with enough batteries to keep it flying till the next day.
> They are also working on being able to land it easier with onboard
> sensors and listening devices, and batteries could help it resume
> flight with minimal noise.
Unclassified previous work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Pathfinder
jsw
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> >BTW, how much do you suppose a prototype of a regular car costs?
> Many have been built for MUCH LESS.
> My electric (battery only) 4 passenger coupe was built for a total
> outlay of significantly less than $000, including all the stuff I
> tried that did NOT work as desired, in the early eighties.