Solar Powered Cars

In today's world, man is eager to travel and discover all of nature’s hidden treasures and utilize  them for the fulfillment of his or her basic requirements. Something which does not require any searching usually shines above in the clear blue sky. Yes, sun is one of the basic sources of life. Can anyone imagine the universe without sunlight? If there was no sunlight then there would be no life.

Sun light is one of the main sources through which solar power is being generated. The energy generated from the sun is being used to cool and even heat buildings, operate communication systems, operate navigation systems and generate electricity as well as many other uses. A solar powered car similarly gets it's much needed fuel from the energy of sunlight. These cars are actually electric cars which are fully powered by the sun’s energy which is obtained from several solar panels fixed on the top of the car. The sun’s energy is then converted into electrical energy by the photovoltaic cells detected from the solar panels needed to run solar powered cars.

Each and every photovoltaic cell usually produces almost ½ a volt of electricity. These solar powered cars only perform or run for a limited distance without the electric energy and for this reason these cars are not being referred to as a resourceful form of transport for daily travelers. Solar powered cars were initially built and specially designed by manufacturers and several students at universities. This particular design development continues on car power supply and solar cell designing requirements like air-conditioning and heater fans. Solar powered cars are like several other objects which use sun energy and can also utilize a number of solar cell technologies that frequently involve using gallium arsenide, poly-crystalline silicon and mono-crystalline silicon.

Solar powered cars are frequently designed in exceptionally remarkable shapes because designers of this particular car are focused on eliminating several dragging factors, reducing weight and maximizing full exposure to the sunrays, while also making these cars as safe as possible. These cars have been in existence since the 19th century and are becoming popular among people as they are trying to save money on fuel costs and are looking towards solar powered cars as an answer.

Electrical and Mechanical System in Solar Powered Cars

The electrical system is one of the most significant parts in solar powered cars since it controls the powers which are made available into this particular system. The battery pack of this system also plays an important role in solar powered cars almost like a gasoline tank in a normal car. Solar powered cars use a wide range of batteries which include Nickel Cadmium or NiCd batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride or NiMH batteries, Lithium Polymer batteries, Lithium Ion Batteries and Lead Acid batteries. Solar racing cars in general have a complicated information acquisition system which monitors the entire electrical system while normal cars have the system which provides data on the battery current and voltage to the drivers. 

However the mechanical system in the solar powered cars is specifically designed to keep the weight and friction to a minimum and also by increasing the maintenance strength. The designers of solar cars usually use composites and titanium to ensure a perfect ratio of strength to weight. These solar powered cars normally have just three wheels in comparison to four wheels on normal cars. These three wheels include a single rear wheel and two front wheels. The three wheel solar powered cars are normally set almost like four wheel normal cars where the two wheels in the front are close to each other while only having one rear wheel instead of the two wheels on normal cars.