Rachel asks…Why do we not put solar panels on cars?If we can put them on everything else and they save power and run things for days, Why do we not put them on cars?Wayne answers:For practical reasons.
1. Solar panels are expensive and fragile.
2. Most cars have limited flat areas where these can be placed.
3. Attaching these to cars is alien to current auto production methods.
4. They are not cost effective yet in terms of the cost-benefit trade-off.
They only produce a tiny amount of current which can only help recharge a battery.
You need a much larger area of PV solar cells to generate enough current to actually drive an electric motor so the only function of a solar cell on a car today is to provide a trickle charge to a battery. What would you be willing to pay to have a trickle charger installed on your car?
Probably a lot less than a big solar panel costs. They add some value to electric cars, but the technology isn’t practical for much on vehicles yet. You’d have to have a car shaped like a giant pancake to be able to get enough solar panels on it to have enough power for even a small electric motor.Richard asks…When will it be affordable for the average person to afford electric cars, and solar panels?I hear on this site that, these are