However, these experimental vehicles are capable of traveling hundreds of kilometers using exclusively the energy of the sun. And of course, without the weight and hardware consumption of an autonomous driving system. These vehicles are normally designed to maximize drive efficiency and available acreage, which translates into wheels with a width worth a bicycle, just enough space for an occupant (without suitcases), very aerodynamic designs, ultralight materials that do not meet safety standards and no infotainment systems, air conditioning or other type of comforts that we are not willing to give up. But for the most part they are nothing more than experimental vehicles developed by groups of students for interuniversity competitions and that cannot be extrapolated to the world of commercial vehicles. The truth is that cars powered exclusively by solar energy exist, what is said to exist, exist. If getting a car to travel a significant number of kilometers thanks exclusively to sunlight is already a major technical challenge, extrapolating it to an autonomous car becomes one of astronomical dimensions. If you want to go in an autonomous solar car, prepare to go awkward (and slow) Despite the promises, in real application it is highly unlikely that solar panels will provide us with more energy than is necessary to travel short distances on sunny days. Even Toyota itself dared with a new prototype of the Toyota Prius, this time somewhat more ambitious, with 860 W of solar panels and promising to recover a maximum of 44.5 kilometers of autonomy per day in the optimistic Japanese homologation cycle.īut the truth is that none of these proposals means that we are going to stop visiting gas stations (or recharging points in this case) forever. This is the case of Lightyear One or the media Sono Sion, which promises up to 34 kilometers a day “free” thanks to sunlight. In recent years this idea has become much more popular and we have seen various brands present their proposals for the use of solar energy in vehicles. However, that solar panel was not used to charge the traction battery, but its 56 W of power was only used to cool the cabin when the car was parked in the sun. In fact, in the case of the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid, it is something that has been available since 2010 in what was the first attempt to bring solar technology to the automotive sector. The cars equipped with photovoltaic panels they are not something new. Solar cars: in search of the utopia of a vehicle that does not need to be refueled In any case, I can tell you that I still we are a long way from being able to enjoy an autonomous solar car. And it is not due to a purely technological limitation (which too), but because the king star is not capable of giving us all the energy we need to move a car on such a small surface. However, if we lower our feet to the ground and do the numbers, we are running against the laws of physics. And there are many car companies and start-ups that are clear that there is a market niche in the solar car business. The truth is, as a concept, it sounds great. That is to say, that it was self-sufficient energetically speaking. But imagine that, in addition to being autonomous at the driving level, it could recharge exclusively with solar energy. Uncategorized The (impossible) accounts to get an autonomous solar car that recharges only with sunlightĪt this point, no one doubts that the dream of the autonomous electric car is something that will end up happening in the more or less near future.
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