Solar Car

Is there going to be a revolution in 2010?

The solar car may be here sooner than you think. Three electric car manufacturers have recently announced they will have a solar powered car for in production soon: US electric vehicle specialist Sun Motor, Indian electric car manufacturer Reva (best known for their 'G-Wiz' electric city car) and French specialist car manufacturer Venturi.

All three manufacturers expect to have a solar car on sale to the general public within months.

All three cars are compact, road legal electric cars with photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof. They are all designed for city and urban driving with frequent stops and low speed driving.

The photovoltaic panels on the Reva and Venturi cars are designed to provide a top up charge rather than provide the sole power source: purely on solar power, and in a sunny climate, they can provide a solar-powered range of around 5 miles (8 km) a day.

Sun Motor has taken a step further. Their car has a significantly larger photovoltaic panel on the roof of the car. Sun Motor claim a range of up to 15 miles (24km) a day purely on sun power. Like the Reva and Venturi, the range can be extended by plugging the car into a standard power socket at the end of each day.

Whilst the range and performance may not seem that great, there are many drivers who live in a sunny climate and only use their cars for short journeys a few times each week. For these people, it could mean their cars could become entirely solar powered.

Even in colder climates solar power has its uses in extending the range of these cars: by trickle charging the batteries during the daytime, the batteries maintain their optimum temperature thereby ensuring a good range even in cold conditions.

These cars are not going to be suitable for everyone. Yet the first exciting steps towards practical solar road cars have been made. With the advancement of photovoltaic panels with better capacities and lower costs, and the ongoing development of electric cars, it may not be that long before solar electric cars become a common sight on our roads.

Further Information:
- Reva Electric Car Company - www.RevaIndia.com
- Venturi - www.Venturi.fr
- Sun Motor - www.SunMotor.us