3 Interesting Solar Car Projects 

Same here, I am disabled and cannot bike or walk, and my commute is only less than 5 miles per day. I only drive about 2500 miles per year and my car sits in an open parking lot all the rest of the time.

You'd spend $40K for a car that you use so little?

Me too. Even though I leave the house four to six days per week I in a small town I still only have to get fuel once every 6 weeks or so.

Then don't buy an EV. Keeping your electric car fully charged on hot parking lot is a recipe for a dead battery. On hot summer day with plenty of sun, temperatures inside car can get easily above 60C which does not play nicely with battier, especially while you charge them. It is recommended to charge your EV during night, in shelter or at least in shadow during charging. That's one of the reasons I din't think solar cars will take off. The other reason is that it is a niche product, for people living in sunny places and/or using their car very sparingly. Stationary solar installation makes more sense in most cases.

@@petros_adamopoulos exactly, op is a bit stpid

Yep, all of SE Asia is a big yes on cars like this!

And it would be awesome if the flexible solar cells could be held an inch or more above the car's roof, front-end, and rear-end, so as to create shade while gathering all that energy for storage in the battery!

take note, we also have mass transport/ public utility vehicles that are solar powered plying same routes as the jeeps.. I prefer riding them because its much quiet, no engine vibrations and much spacious..

Well this one will probably pricey tho

​@@MichaelGGarryAll of SE is poor though. Philippines is a filthy country where I saw someone dump trash in the river, directly!!! This car will be stolen in seconds, unless it is driven only in the richer neighbourhoods 😅

This car will work well here in Mzansi.

Lol, solar is very inefficient when hot .. is it hot in Africa? Uh huh.

Look at the power grid management in SA It's needed indeed

Also in India 🇮🇳

@@JSabh I think that won't be any issue since the car would be moving and solar cells can be air cooled.

too bad they aren't an oil company, they get support

Lol. Truth

"up to" 40 miles of range per day. Meaning if you park it in the Arizona desert without any shade. Realistically you get maybe 20 miles per day. This isn't the magic you think it is.

Can a company disappear "mysteriously"?

@@eadweard. Like the guy that made the car that run on water and was killed?

true indeed♥

Electric solar care shouldn't be less than $80k though

A lightweight solar car is so contrary to the way the auto industry works that it is bound to fail. Light basic tires, basic suspension, a small battery, a cheap motor... nobody is gonna want to do business with you if doing so will poach more lucrative sales from existing partners.

Bigger brands interfered because they didn't want to lose sales

@@heer_Jefferson I'm saying that parts suppliers would be uninterested in working with lightspeed. Imagine how enthusiastic Michelin would be to make $100 tires for this car when they could make $300 tires for a BMW.

Or the other side want them to fail? This may also be the reason

Cookie cutter comment. Who doesn't love bots

Let's pin a bot comment lmao

​@@vv7299exactly bruh..

Flagged for botting

Amen brother!

I had a 200d w124 and it was dangerously slow. It could detect a hill that was nowhere to be seen. Such a stupid car. There was even a version with a 4 speed transmision, meaning it wasnt that economical.

Me tooo my 2014 Leaf rocks !!!

Aptera

On my Ford Transit camper box van I have 1280w of solar power and it covers the entire roof that is 4 x 2 m large and even that is only enough to power a electric car for no more then a short drive after charging an entire day ... I have 5000w / hour battery bank and it takes about 7 hours to charge the battery bank under perfect conditions which is rare.

Just buy solar panels for your house. You got a solar-powered car.

@@MrIsmilealotmy understanding is that there are more LEAFs out there than any other EV. Rock on!

musk also said that he is a conman

@@DanielQRT who else owns a space company that can land orbital rockets

​@@DanielQRTno conman says that

@@gutluckbro9802 a conman

@@warpdrive9229 because they don't want you to think that, it's just indirectly

that would be an enormous waste of money, i'm afraid. the biggest problem with solar-powered cars is that (a) the solar panels are always flat and don't track the moving sun, (b) the farther away from the equator you are, the smaller the solar irradiance you receive, and (c) cloudy days are quite common in many places in the world and clouds reduce solar power output by as much as 90%. those three factors combined bring the expected solar power output averaged over a year and over the whole surface of the planet (assuming global adoption of this technology) of any solar car by about an order of magnitude compared to the absolute best-case scenario of the sun being directly overhead. that's about 0.1 kilowatts realistically compared to the theoretical maximum of roughly 1 kilowatt. to put this into perspective, just to overcome air drag you need about 0.6 kilowatts of power driving at a speed of 50 km/h that's typical of residential area speed limits. as for using solar panels to re-charge the batteries, consider that the solar panels will, on average, charge up to about 0.1 kilowatt x 10 hours = 1 kilowatt-hours per day. given that electric cars have an efficiency of roughly 0.2 kilowatt-hours per kilometer, that would limit your use to a measly 5 km or so per day if you want to be independent of charging stations. so, overall, unless you live in a country close to the equator that sees lots of sunlight year-round and use it for short distances and relatively slow moving of up to residential speed limits at the most, you'll be too dependent on the batteries and thus traditional charging methods.

@@tasos1112 anything that saves you from recharging during longer commute is appreciated. UE is forcing cars to have repleaceable battery, it should by default enforce solar recharging system, because not having these on EV is just waste of space and resources

It's very efficient because it is a motorcycle, not a car, so it doesn't have to have the same safety features an actual car has. Anything with fewer than four tires is a motorcycle. * Apparently it's an "autocycle" because it's enclosed with seatbelts. So there's a different set of safety standards, you don't need a helmet, etc. Good to know it's not just a dodge around making the thing heavy enough to be safe.

​@@darrennew8211maybe but it also has a fully enclosed cockpit, two side-by-side seats and a boot that can fit quite a bit more than any motorcycle. Also, when it comes to security, Aptera has been very clear that they made no sacrifices and the material they use is as good as any metal when it comes to protecting the passengers. They pride themselves on making "something that's sort of in between a car and a motorcycle" so if you want to come in with your half assed definition and discard them just because "if it has less than four wheels, it's a motorcycle not a car" go at it. They are probably too busy making a great vehicle to care about your opinion on what it should be called

@@darrennew8211 it's going to be tested against full government car automotive standards and has seatbelts and airbags so comparing it to a motorcycle is a bit of a disservice as a motorcycle has nothing like that and no outer shell. Quote " It’s as long as a Prius (172”) and as wide as a Tesla Model S (85”). The body is made from composites which makes it far stronger than steel oraluminum. It also has airbags in the steering wheel and the dash for the passenger and full three-point seat belts.The Aptera is designed like a formula one racer where the occupants are protected by a cage-like composite structure.

@@huzcer Good to hear they're following safety standards above and beyond what the USA requires. But it is technically a motorcycle. Huh. Apparently it's actually an "autocycle" because it's enclosed and has safety restraints. So you don't need a helmet, and there's all kinds of different safety standards. My bad.

@@anthonyjaccard3694 Well, it's good to hear they're putting in more safety stuff than required by law. I'll wait until it's actually in production and has been tested before buying one. 🙂 Also, being enclosed and with seatbelts apparently makes it an "autocycle" which I didn't know, so you (for example) don't need to wear helmets.

The slowest 2004 Camry has a 9.6 second 0-60.

@@filonin2 The lightyear 0 was 0-62 mph in 10 seconds, almost identical. 0-62 in 10 seconds would mean it likely hit 60 in 9.8 or so.

Why do you need a hyper-efficient car with lot of sacrifices? Electricity is cheap and only getting cheaper. And acceleration is not just super fun, but also very useful in many situations.

Apterra Based out if San Diego is making progress toward therir electric vehicle. Starting price is less than 30k.

@@andrasbiro3007 As more cars become electric, and the grid becomes more taxed, electricity prices will only go up, eventually reaching the same or even more as people spend on gas. (This is already almost the case in many electric cars, if you have to use public pay per kwh chargers)

Like the ones they have for mobile phones.

This is a much better plan because you can align the panel to the sun. In fact, RVs already do that to some extent.

Or just traditional solar panels on rooftops, that you could hook up to as public charging... I don't see much benefit in installing the panels on the car directly. It just seems much more expensive, all around.

Aptera plans to offer an accessory folding solar panel that fits inside the car and can deployed when you reach your destination. Details are sparse right now because they are putting all their efforts into making the car. I have made a deposit and look forward to using my Aptera.

@@dwightjones3305 Let's hope you are not disappointed!

I'm glad Aptera was mentioned. I have lots of video's on it.

Dagogo*

Get your dictionary out and learn what real means. There is nothing real about Aptera when it comes to changing anything. If you could buy one, there isn't even a tyre to change, lol.

@@aussieideasman8498 There are 4+ million Teslas that don't carry a spare tyre. Next spurious objection, please.

i'm extremely excited for the Aptera

@@raw.voltage Settle down.

Aptera isn't even classified as a car, and would be a death-trap in an accident. To make matters even worse, it it actually quite large and not a nimble vehicle for use around town.

right? its pretty cool

Tech, yes . Crippled and Stunted by free market interests and dominance, definitely

Amazing how animation and big claims make people feel so warm inside 😂

​@@vintageexcellenceunreal. How can anyone think a small solar panel can power a car? The ignorance is depressing.

​@@vintageexcellencebut those are real images?

Same haha

He does have a fantastic voice and cadence. If this channel ever goes dark, I hope he moves to someone else’s.

Ja toch

Weren’t the Dutch the ones that destroyed Jakarta and now it sinks into the sea 😂 you could take it further and make it a Dutch oven in that heat 💨

No, EV is just a way where US try to take back automotive industry. US companies such as GE, Ford etc lose against Volkswagen and Toyota.

@@NoOne-xd1gw my Dad is on the fence about electric cars because he doesn't like the idea of having to wait as a car charges, etc. (what if you're in a rush to get a meeting, or in an emergency situation? we'd be sitting around rest areas during road trips.) a hybrid, maybe. but this! and the Sun is always shining down here. if it can stay charged all the time that would be cool.

@@vintageexcellence I'm not into the whole “punishing younger generations for what their Ancestors did” thing ✌🏼✌🏼 I'll let them prove they're good eggs

100% agree, in all big cities

Wouldn't it be shaded by buildings most of the time?

In my city, even at the heart of it, street parking is exposed to sun for long stretches of the day. Plus, most of the parking all over the area consists of parking lots that are very much exposed to sun. So, in a city like mine, with lots of apartment complexes, shopping centers, industrial and other business parks, etc. Drivers would definitely be soaking up a lot of solar energy. I do wonder about how hot the cabin gets- hopefully, some amount of window tinting would be standard.

No. It's so dumb.

​@@lawrencefrost9063Thank you for your solid and well-supported counter-argument (/s)

Maybe, but hopefully it would be a purchaser who wouldn't completely ruin this whole idea. Corporations tend to screw everything up, almost as a default matter of course.

Not happening in your country, oil & gas lobbying is too strong

Everyone here goes 80mph on the highway

All I'm hearing from you is pipe dream fantasies and conspiracy theories.

The aptera solar car shown there has a 0 to 60 of 4 seconds and only costs $25k, not 40k. Idk how the other guys screwed this up

They didn't move to Australia.

​@@samwiseknows They did, the competitions were in Australia. 2:38

@@Tondadrd 😂😂😂😂

This guy gets it 🧠

Until you get in a crash and you die.

I just fly the flag for honesty.

Sounds like that thing could even function in Alaska (when the Sun's up, that is).

Did you watch the video...

No future if you are dead now.

Yep - you're dreaming! Feast yourself on over 50 video's I have made.

@@aussieideasman8498 I looked at your channel with the descriptions. I'm not clicking on someones channel who wants to make a living talking shit about a company that is simply ____trying______ to ________lessen ________ their environmental impact as much as humanely possible. Why would YOU focus. so. much. attention. on a company that isn't currently dumping oil into our oceans?

My guess is if you put aftermarket solar panels on a Tesla, you have void the warranty for your Tesla. Tesla is very, very, aggressive about walling off their market space. Just look at all the lies they feed their customers, both of commission & omission.

They can only delay it only until the oil reserves reach critically low levels

Funny thing is those very same oil companies that greatly downplayed renewables greatly invested into them secretly, to make a profit later on. Greed is a poison.

Why would they even be motivated to? Its already mandated in many countries that no more combustion engine cars may be sold after 2030-2040 (depending on country). Why would they care whether the non-combustion engine car is powered by solar, wind, hydrogen or cold fusion?

​@@dragonslayer0people been saying oil will run out anytime now for decades now, but it never does and new reserves keep getting discovered

@@kevinfernandez9999 it won't become zero... But consumption will be reduced many times compared to today

0-60 in 10 seconds is comparable to that of a Gasoline powered Toyota Yaris. It's not performance car fast, but quite normal in the real world.

Not a problem at all if you get an aptera solar vehicle instead

My daily driver does 13 secs to 100. It's bad but it's honestly not an issue 90% of the time

Super excited about Aptera!

Feeding a unused power back to the grid is not that simple. Solar panels produce low voltage direct current, while grid works on a higher-voltage alternating current, 60 Hz in US, 50 Hz in the rest of the world. To be able to use the solar power in your home or sell it to the grid, you need an inverter to turn DC into AC, and a transformer to adjust the voltage. That equipment is usually not very cheap - in Europe, it's almost the same as covering your entire house in solar panels, it's not prohibitively expensive of course but when you are already investing in it, it makes sense to invest in panels also, to cover your roof fully in panels, and deal away with electricity bill completely and permanently, and likely have enough left for charging your conventional battery-powered EV.

P.S. A solar car that charges itself on parking would actually make a lot of sense here in Europe, especially in my case as I live in a city, in an apartment, and I can rarely hope I'll find an empty parking lot on the same side of the street where my apartment is, let alone be able to plug a cable somewhere to charge it overnight, but I understand that you guys in the US mostly live in large single houses with plenty of space.

I was going to comment exactly this. Why put advanced, much more complicated and expensive solar panels on a car when you could instead add the same amount of energy production on a farm and just let the panels sit there passively generating power instead of carrying the power production around literally everywhere you drive. Whatever extra cost of installing these panels on the body of a car could much better be spent adding panels to anywhere else like we already regularly do.

Now I'm picturing the ultimate "green energy" vehicle. Self-adjusting rotating satellite solar panels on the roof, and a turbine in the middle of the front hood for wind power.

@@xX1Mankrik3Xx That would be stupid, you increase drag and loose efficiency much more than you produce energy, you're thinking of a perpetual motion machine which breaks the laws of physics

@@LeAdri1du40 I put "green energy" in quotes because it was a gag idea. Definitely not something that would produce good results haha. 😅

Aptera isn't a car. It's a motorcycle. Anything with fewer than four tires is a motorcycle, so they don't have to add the weight of all the safety features of a car.

@@darrennew8211 While low weight is obviously good for range, it's challenging to make such cars safe. For me that's a problem.

@@darrennew8211 I'm well aware of what the Aptera is classified as, especially in my own state. :) But given that it has seats, a steering wheel, a wind shield, doors, keeps me dry in the rain, things like that, I consider it a car. Cheers.

@@KitelessRex Yeah. I was coming at it from "we call it a motorcycle because that way we don't need all that heavy safety equipment like air bags and roll bars." It's a pretty standard EV dodge trading safety for mileage. However, I'm told it's actually classified as an "autocycle" because it's enclosed and has seatbelts and such, so you don't have to wear a helmet. I guess legislators figured it out and came up with an appropriate set of safety standards after all.

@@Pyriold However, I'm told it's actually classified as an "autocycle" because it's enclosed and has seatbelts and such, so you don't have to wear a helmet. I guess legislators figured it out and came up with an appropriate set of safety standards after all.

Me toooooo 😭😭 except i thought he hired some voice actor

I also have residential solar, HEV, PHEV. Generally agree with you but think large stationary batteries are a waste. 20-50% deduction is very doable with better economics. Solar cars are mostly clickbait. Where they almost work, $20K limited use is better.

@@artsmith103 Please explain a little more about "large stationary batteries" being a waste, better economics, and "$20K limited use". If you mean a large home battery, what is the alternative when one over-produces energy in a grid-tied system? I'm thinking what you're saying about "better economics" is suggesting more efficient energy usage? We recently added ductless mini-split as a replacement for Central HVAC. Here, we are just heating/cooling the rooms that we are in at the time, vs. heating/cooling an entire home (and the empty rooms we are not in). This alone reduced energy consumption by almost 40% - which in-turn created the massive solar energy over production - which in turn was a justification for storing that over produced energy. My other peeve is all-electric vehicles. Perhaps its because people (and really Americans in particular) are intellectually lazy, we do not compute the way we actually utilize our personal auto transportation. 90% of all driving, for 80% of all Americans is daily commuting of 50 miles or less. A 50 mile-range PHEV solves this...then for the fairly rare time a vehicle is driven beyond the all-electric range, just use petrol. No need whatsoever for $trillions in "public charging stations".

@@shotelco I also just installed mini-split for 1st AC luxury and we heat with it during shoulder season rather than wood stove. Batteries are exceptional when the load is clearly defined to match. Similar to your PHEV explanation. Batteries increase PV elec cost/kWh some 30% or more so can ruin investment. Just spin meter backwards, no storage inefficiency.

@@shotelco $20K limited use I meant the metro/suburban commuters that have good range vs use batteries. Often smaller 3 wheels, and easier to park.

EVs are below 5% of all cars on the road and they are not in demand contrary to what Elon would say. Check the data before you eat up BS about EVs becoming mainstream

@@argh_666 it'll be mainstream with enough propaganda around it. As long as the solar power isn't tied to a subscription or cloud service where they can turn off your car remotely, I am for this.

I strongly disagree with this video. Efficiency WAS the key to make BEVs possible. Tesla had record breakind cw-value for a reason. The whole premise of the video is wrong and thats also the reason why that company went bust. The car has ridiculously big wheels which dont fit together the big steps in efficiency they would need for a "solar"-car. They funneld the money.

Nope. The mass, weight, aero of any current e-car means thats not a possibilty not even even slightly. As it says at the end, solar on the new Prius may add all of 4 miles a day (and thats probably in Arizona, and then you'd need more than that amount of wattage to cool the car down because its been parked in the baking sun all day. If it was as simple as slapping some film on dont you think everyone and his dog would have done it by now?

@@Joe-lb8qn Of course you can't drive every day for free with the relatively small area on the roof, but 5 km x 30 days = 150 km per month - this is just about the idea. It would be better if you could apply a photovoltaic-paint. The entire paint would then produce electricity. 🙂

@@aufklarungbibelundchristen3636 now remove the AC needed to cool the car, account for the paint damage for the car being left in blazing sun all day , the extr cost and complexity and reflect that 150km is maybe 20 minutes charge whilst you are doing something and you get an idea why people haven't been slapping this on cars from day one. If you think it's so easy why have to date every single manufacturer failed to do this simple thing?

Not going to work. The Lightyear is threading the needle on the numbers in a way that no other car can accomplish. If you add panels to an existing EV, you'll just make it heavier and more expensive to drive with very little ROI from the solar power.