If Spacecraft Are Solar-Powered, Then Why Aren't Cars?
It's no secret that spacecraft fly hundreds of thousands of miles fueled by solar energy. Take the Magellan spacecraft for example. Weighing about 4 tons, the Magellan was able to orbit Venus for a little over 5 years fueled by solar energy. If this technology exists, then why don't auto manufacturers take a page from NASA and finally give us solar-powered cars?
The main problem that has held back this development is real estate. Solar panels need a lot of surface area pointed to the sun. The International Space Station has about 25,000 square feet of solar panels, and the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter has approximately 700 square feet. In comparison, your average car only has about 60 square feet of available space for solar panels.
Sunlight delivers a dense source of power, approximately 13 horsepower (10 kilowatts) energy per 100 square feet. However, this is way too inadequate for a car that generates over 200 horsepower. Worse, the current breed of solar panels only turns about 15 - 25% of energy, barely enough to pedal a bike.
I think we will soon see cars using solar power as a supplemental energy source, but the photovoltaic cells replacing the internal combustion engine is a long way off. Unless of course, Elon Musk adds one to his next line of Cybertrucks.
SOURCES:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/solar_arrays-about.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/spinning-wheels-community-car-lovers/2008/jul/26/why-there-wont-be-a-solar-powered-car/
The main problem that has held back this development is real estate. Solar panels need a lot of surface area pointed to the sun. The International Space Station has about 25,000 square feet of solar panels, and the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter has approximately 700 square feet. In comparison, your average car only has about 60 square feet of available space for solar panels.
Sunlight delivers a dense source of power, approximately 13 horsepower (10 kilowatts) energy per 100 square feet. However, this is way too inadequate for a car that generates over 200 horsepower. Worse, the current breed of solar panels only turns about 15 - 25% of energy, barely enough to pedal a bike.
I think we will soon see cars using solar power as a supplemental energy source, but the photovoltaic cells replacing the internal combustion engine is a long way off. Unless of course, Elon Musk adds one to his next line of Cybertrucks.
SOURCES:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/solar_arrays-about.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/spinning-wheels-community-car-lovers/2008/jul/26/why-there-wont-be-a-solar-powered-car/
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