Solar panels on any car — the versatility of Lightyear’s solar technology
lightyear.one
Clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. That’s been our mission from the very beginning. And as we get ready for the start of production of Lightyear 0, we are a vital step closer to making that a reality. But we see potential in using our solar technology for far more than our own cars.

Clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. That’s been our mission from the very beginning. And as we get ready for the start of production of Lightyear 0, we are a vital step closer to making that a reality. But we see potential in using our solar technology for far more than our own cars.

    • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      It’s a simple question of weight ratios. A 5 ounce swallow cannot carry a 2 pound coconut.

      Or, rather, it’s about energy requirements vs. available area for solar. Cars don’t have enough surface area to supply much solar electricity at all. And they require quite a lot of energy to drive.

      You can change this by radically improving solar panel output, lightening up the car, or increasing the surface area of the car. Basically, solar cars exist, but they are akin to road-bound airplanes that have the seating capacity of a bicycle and less cargo capacity.

      There are no “feelings” about it. We can build a car that recharges itself in the sun over 3 months. But that’s it.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      3 months ago

      Photovoltaic cells at this point are up to about 25% efficient. If we managed to triple that, we could get like 10 KM of range from solar panels per day, which would be kinda useful if you don’t drive a lot… But if you don’t drive a lot, do you need a car?

      The other thing is that solar panels tend to last a hell of a long time… And cars really do not. This creates either waste if the car is crushed, or complexity in dismantling it for parts and reusing the panels.

      If you want to charge your EV with solar panels, I’d suggest something like this and I’m definitely not linking it because these are produced less than 100 KM from me lol

      But a car that is continuously topped up by the sun while driving, that’s just not physically feasible unfortunately.