Advancement in Solar Vehicles- The Future of Transportation

 

Introduction to Solar Powered Vehicles

Solar powered vehicles, also known as solar cars, are automobiles that run partially or entirely on electricity from solar photovoltaic cells. The cells convert sunlight directly into electricity, which charges the vehicle's batteries and powers its electric motor. While Solar Vehicles have been developed since the 1970s, advances in battery and solar technologies are now enabling them to become viable modes of transportation.

Challenges of Early Solar Vehicles

The early solar vehicles faced numerous technical challenges that limited their adoption. The photovoltaic cells available in the 1970s and 1980s had very low efficiencies, generating only enough power to help supplement lead-acid batteries. This resulted in solar cars having very low top speeds and short ranges. Batteries also provided limited energy storage capacity, necessitating frequent recharging. Additionally, the heavy weight of batteries reduced the vehicles' efficiency. Solar panels covering the entire roof further increased drag, necessitating more battery power. Overall, lack of energy storage and delivery posed major obstacles.

Breakthroughs in Battery Technology

Over the past decade, major advances in lithium-ion battery technology have begun to address earlier challenges. Lithium-ion batteries can store 2-3 times more energy by volume and weight compared to lead-acid batteries. They also charge and discharge more efficiently over hundreds of charge cycles. This enabled manufacturers to design lighter and more energy-dense battery packs that provide sufficient range to solar cars. Newer solid-state battery designs promise even higher energy densities for the future. Widespread electrification of transportation also drove down battery costs significantly through economies of scale.

Higher Efficiency Solar Cells

Photovoltaic efficiency has steadily risen from average efficiencies around 10% for first generation solar modules in the 1970s to over 25% for modern multi-junction cells. New perovskite and organic solar cell technologies promise efficiencies over 30% in the coming years. Higher efficiency cells allow generating the same amount of electricity from fewer panels, reducing weight and drag. Additionally, engineers are developing lightweight, flexible solar skins that can efficiently wrap around non-traditional vehicle surfaces like roofs, hoods, and even entire exterior shells to harvest more solar energy.

Advances in Aerodynamic Design

Early solar car designs often incorporated the solar panels as a rigid shell around the vehicle with boxy shapes that increased wind resistance. Recent generations feature ultra-aerodynamic designs optimized through computational fluid dynamics modeling and wind tunnel testing. Features like tapering at the front and rear, curved surfaces, underbody panels, and active spoilers reduce drag coefficients to 0.1 or lower, allowing higher top speeds while expending less energy. Advanced composites also make bodies incredibly light yet durable. These upgrades have led to solar vehicles easily cruising above highway speeds.

Progress in Driver Assistance Systems

In addition to improvements in core energy technologies, driver assistance features are enhancing the viability of solar vehicles for daily use. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) drawn from mainstream electric vehicles assist with adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping and blind spot monitoring. These reduce fatigue on long journeys and improve safety; some new models even enable partially automated highway driving comparable to commercial ADAS. Over-the-air software updates will further expand their functionality in the future. ADAS remove much of the tedium from long distance travel and expand the appeal of solar mobility to a wider audience.

Rising Interest from Automakers

With the convergence of these technology trends, major global automakers have started viewing solar electric vehicles more optimistically. Increasing investment across each company's operations suggests larger models may soon enter production. Daimler plans launching the Mercedes Solar Car in 2023 featuring integrated organic solar skins. Toyota and Hyundai are working on concept buses and delivery vans using similar lightweight, flexible solar panels molded into vehicle surfaces. Many companies are also heavily backing competitions like the World Solar Challenge where student teams develop ultra-efficient prototypes that showcase near-term potential. Mainstream manufacturers are now openly stating solar vehicles as a realistic mass market possibility within this decade.

Conclusion

After decades of progress, solar power for transportation appears poised for meaningful adoption in the coming years. Major technical barriers have been gradually overcome through continuous innovations in batteries, solar cells, vehicle design, and driver assistance. Industry giants are also demonstrating more confidence that Solar Vehicles can become commercial products. While policy support will still be needed, solar mobility now looks capable of providing clean, affordable personal transportation in addition to commercial use cases. With persistent research and development investments, it stands an excellent chance of becoming a mainstream alternative to fossil fuels in the not too distant future.

 

 

About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc.

 

*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it