SOLAR VEHICLES

112115062- Ts Harika
112115063-V Chetan naveen
Introduction

• The face of the automotive industry is being reshaped by concerns over oil
supplies, international policy and fuel costs. A wide variety of hybrid technologies
are now available including discussion of hydrogen possibilities. The solar
powered car, one of the oldest alternative energy vehicles, has many applications
to the emerging electric vehicle market.
• Automotive consumers are growing increasingly more interested in highly fuel
efficient vehicles, environmentalists are concerned over vehicle emissions, and
politicians are fighting to ease foreign relations and maintain international oil
trade. The effects of the combustion engine automobile are diverse and
widespread. Research in ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel and electric vehicles aims
to improve energy efficiencies while decreasing pollution and dependency on
foreign oil.
 • The first solar car invented was a tiny 15-inch vehicle created by
William G. Cobb of General Motors. Called the Sunmobile, Cobb
showcased the first solar car at the Chicago Powerama convention
on August 31, 1955. The solar car was made up 12 selenium
photovoltaic cells and a small Pooley electric motor turning a pulley
which in turn rotated the rear wheel shaft. The first solar car in
history was obviously too small to drive.
• Now, let's jump to 1962 when the first solar car that a person could
drive was demonstrated to the public. The International Rectifier
Company converted a vintage model 1912 Baker electric car to run
on photovoltaic energy in 1958, but they didn't show it until 4 years
History later. Around 10,640 individual solar cells were mounted to the
rooftop of the Baker to help propel it.
• In 1977, Alabama University professor Ed Passereni built the
Bluebird solar car, which was a prototype full scale vehicle. The
Bluebird was supposed to move from power created by the
photovoltaic cells only without the use of a battery. The Bluebird
was exhibited in the Knoxville, TN 1982 World's Fair.
• Between 1977 and 1980 (the exact dates are not known for sure), at
Tokyo Denki University, professor Masaharu Fujita first created a
solar bicycle, then a 4-wheel solar car. The car was actually two solar
bicycles put together.
 History

• At the engineering department at Tel Aviv University in Israel, Arye Braunstein and his colleagues
created a solar car in 1980. The solar car had a solar panel on the hood and on the roof of the
Citicar comprised of 432 cells creating 400 watts of peak power. The solar car used 8 batteries of 6
volts each to store the photovoltaic energy.
• In 1981 Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins built a solar powered racecar. In 1982, the pair became
the first to cross a continent in a solar car, from Perth to Sydney, Australia. Tholstrup is the creator
of the World Solar Challenge in Australia.
• In 1984, Greg Johanson and Joel Davidson invented the Sunrunner solar race car. The Sunrunner
set the official Guinness world record in Bellflower, California of 24.7 mph. In the Mojave Desert of
California and final top speed of 41 mph was officially recorded for a "Solely Solar Powered
Vehicle" (did not use a battery). The 1986 Guinness Book of World Records publicized these official
records.
• The GM Sunraycer in 1987 completed a 1,866 mile trip with an average speed of 42 mph. Since this
time there have been many solar cars invented at universities for competitions such as the Shell
Eco Marathon. There is also a commercially available solar car called the Venturi Astrolab. Time will
only tell how far the solar car makes it with today's and tomorrow's technology.
The first solar car invented, a tiny 15-
inch vehicle created by William G.
Cobb of General Motors. Called as the
Sunmobile
 Solar Plane

It’s the first solar-powered plane to make a cross-country trip across the United States. Now Solar
Impulse is attempting to fly across the entire globe. The plane, which was equipped with 12,000
solar cells and four electrically-powered propellers, was the first aircraft running on renewable
energy that was able to fly non-stop for 24 hours. It carried batteries that were charged during
the day, so the plane would be able to fly at night.
Solar Shuttle

Built in 2000, the Hamburg Solarshuttle is the world’s biggest

Solarferry, carrying up to 120 passengers. The boat's solar
generator eliminates the production of 10,040 lbs of CO2, 23.3
lbs of NOX and 54.8 lbs of SO4 per year compared to a
conventional diesel powered vessel of similar size.
Solar Tricycle

With a maximum speed of 20kmph travels 40-45km

at a stretch after charging for about 3.5-4hrs.
Solar Bus

The world’s first solar cell-equipped

public bus introduced in Okayama City. It
is a hybrid diesel-electric vehicle whose
rooftop solar cells generate 798 watts,
powering the interior LED lights. In the
absence of sun, solar power stored in a
battery will keep the lights on for nine
hours.
Solar Train

The train rooftops have been fitted with

custom-built curved solar panels to
charge the onboard batteries, which also
draw on a regenerative braking system
said to recapture around 25 percent of
energy the train uses to accelerate. The
batteries can also be charged at the
platform thanks to a large rooftop solar
array on the storage shed. One diesel
engine is left onboard as a backup.
Components of a solar car

• SOLAR ARRAY
• POWER TRACKERS
• ELECTRIC MOTOR
• SPEED CONTROLLER
• CHASSIS
• SUSPENSION SYSTEM
• BATTERY
• WHEEL
Solar cell

• A solar cell converts solar energy to

electrical energy. Photons in sunlight
provide the energy that moves electrons
from one layer of a semiconducting
metallic wafer to another. The
movement of the electrons creates a
current. Solar cells are devices which
convert solar energy directly into
electricity. The most common solar cells
function by the photovoltaic effect.
Photo- means light and -voltaic means
electrical current or electricity.
Solar Array

• A solar array can be defined as solar panels arranged in a

group to capture maximum amount of sun light to convert
it into usable electricity. The idea of Solar Array came into
being when it was conceived that the power produced by
a solar panels singly was not sufficient for domestic or
commercial purpose. Many such solar modules are linked
together to form a Solar Array.
• The power produced by the solar array varies depending
on the weather, the sun's position in the sky, and the solar
array itself. On a bright, sunny day at noon, a good solar
car solar array will produce well over 1000 watts (1.3 hp)
of power. The power from the array is used either to
power the electric motor or stored in the battery pack for
later use
 Working of an solar array
• A solar cell is an electronic device which catches the sunlight and
turns it into the electricity directly. These cells are of the same size as
the palm of an adult ( blue-black and octagonal).the solar cells
(photovoltaic cells) are usually bundled together to create a big unit
of solar modules and is called as solar panels. Solar cells have
germanium PN junction diode and silicon with a glass window on the
top surface layer of P-type. The top surface layer of P-type material is
thin so that the incident light photon may quickly reach the PN
junction.
• Sunlight may generally consist of photons, and these photons have a
different amount of energy corresponding to various wavelengths of
light. When these photons in sunlight hit the solar cells, they are
either reflected or absorbed. If the photon gets absorbed, its energy
gets transferred to an electron in the cells' atom. Then the electron
escapes from its normal position, thus causing a hole. Due to these
holes and electrons, there is a production of current.
• The process is known as the photovoltaic effect. The current
generated is collected by wiring the individual solar panels together.
Types of Solar Array

• Horizontal. This most common arrangement gives most overall power during most of the day in
low latitudes or higher latitude summers and offers little interaction with the wind. Horizontal
arrays can be integrated or be in the form of a free canopy.
• Vertical. This arrangement is sometimes found in free standing or integrated sails to harness wind
energy . Useful solar power is limited to mornings, evenings, or winters and when the vehicle is
pointing in the right direction.
• Adjustable. Free solar arrays can often be tilted around the axis of travel in order to increase
power when the sun is low and well to the side. An alternative is to tilt the whole vehicle when
parked. Two-axis adjustment is only found on marine vehicles, where the aerodynamic resistance
is of less importance than with road vehicles.
• Integrated. Some vehicles cover every available surface with solar cells. Some of the cells will be at
an optimal angle whereas others will be shaded.
• Trailer. Solar trailers are especially useful for retrofitting existing vehicles with little stability, e.g.
bicycles. Some trailers also include the batteries and others also the drive motor.
• Remote. By mounting the solar array at a stationary location instead of the vehicle, power can be
maximised and resistance minimized. The virtual grid-connection however involves more electrical
losses than with true solar vehicles and the battery must be larger.
Power Trackers

• Power trackers condition the electricity coming from

the solar array to maximize the power and deliver it
either to the batteries for storage or to the motor
controller for propulsion. When the solar array is
charging the batteries, the power trackers help to
protect the batteries from being damaged by
overcharging. The number of power trackers used in
a solar car varies with each team's design. Power
trackers can be very lightweight and commonly
reach efficiencies above 95%.
Electric Motor

• An electric motor is the basic and the most

important part of a solar car. It should
work with optimal power and the
efficiency should be high. An electric motor
is a device using electrical energy to
produce mechanical energy, nearly always
by the interaction of magnetic fields and
current-carrying conductors.
Speed Controller

• The purpose of a motor speed controller is to take a

signal representing the demanded speed, and to
drive a motor at that speed. The controller may or
may not actually measure the speed of the motor
• It controls the speed by controlling the power flow
as shown in the adjacent representation
 Chassis
• The primary challenge in developing an effective solar car chassis
is to maximize the strength and safety, but minimize the weight.
However, safety is a primary concern and the chassis must meet
stringent strength and safety requirements.
Different Body Shapes
• Unified aero body and panel
• Fixed or tilting, flat panels with a separate driver cab
• Catamaran shape
• uniquely designed shape
Different Chassis structures
• Tubular metal spaceframe
• Carbon fiber composite monocoque
• Some use aluminium and steel spaceframes
 Suspension system

• Besides enhancing driver comfort, the suspension can

potentially enhance the responsiveness or stability of the
solar car.
• The majority of solar cars utilize a short-long arm style
suspension, also known as double wishbone for the front
wheels.
• The rear wheels often also employ the double wishbone
style suspension for four wheeled solar cars, while three
wheeled cars usually employ a derivative of the trailing
arm style suspension.
• Most solar cars use suspension components machined from
billet aluminum.
Points to consider when designing a solar car

• The car should be designed in order to maximize the area exposed

to sun light in order to achieve maximum power.
• The car shape should be so-called an aerodynamic shape in order
to achieve minimum wind resistance, or the so-called drag force.
• The car should be as light as possible, because the power
expected from the solar cells is not that much. In addition, most
of this power will be utilized to overcome friction and drag.
 Aerodynamics and Drag
• A body immersed in a flowing fluid is acted on by both pressure and viscous forces from the flow. The sum of
the forces (pressure, viscous, or both) that acts normal to the free-stream direction is the lift, and the sum of
that acts parallel to the free-stream direction is defined as the drag. These definitions are perhaps one of the
famous conclusions of the famous Bernoulli’s equation, which is one of the fundamental laws governing the
motion of fluids. It relates an increase in flow velocity to a decrease in pressure and vice versa. Bernoulli's
principle is used in aerodynamics to explain the lift of an airplane wing in flight. A wing is so designed that air
flows more rapidly over its upper surface than its lower one, leading to a decrease in pressure on the top
surface as compared to the bottom. The resulting pressure difference provides the lift that sustains the aircraft
in flight. The velocity of a wind that strikes the bluff surface of a building is close to zero near its wall. According
to Bernoulli's principle, this would lead to a rise in pressure relative to the pressure away from the building,
resulting in wind forces that the structures must be designed to withstand.
• Another important aspect of aerodynamics is the drag, or resistance, acting on solid bodies moving through air.
The drag forces exerted by the air flowing over the airplane, for example, must be overcome by the thrust force
developed by either the jet engine or the propellers. These drag forces can be significantly reduced by
streamlining the body. For bodies that are not fully streamlined, the drag force increases approximately with
the square of the speed as they move rapidly through the air. The power required, for example, to drive an
automobile steadily at medium or high speeds is primarily absorbed in overcoming air resistance.
Aerodynamics and Drag

• The following examples illustrate

the importance of considering drag
when designing a car
• FDRAG = (1/2)* 𝑐 𝑑 *𝐴𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 *ρ*𝑣 2
Where 𝑐 𝑑 is the coefficient of drag
of the vehicle, 𝐴𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 is it’s frontal
area in square feet ,ρ is a constant
that accounts for the air mass
density and V is the vehicle’s
speed. To minimize drag for any
given 𝑐 𝑑 , the coefficient of drag,
and 𝐴𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 , it’s frontal area must
be minimized.
Aerodynamics and Drag

• The drag force becomes increasingly noticeable at speeds

of above 40 km/h due to it being proportional to the
square of the speed. Because batteries provide only 1% as
much power per weight as gasoline, optimizing for either
high-speed or long-range performance goals, requires
that one keeps this critical performance factor foremost in
mind. As it is noticeable from the adjacent figure the
more streamlined the shape of the car the lower is 𝑐 𝑑 . It
is estimated that for conventional car designs, the body’s
rear area contributes more than 33% of 𝑐 𝑑 by itself,
followed by the wheel wells at 2%, the underbody area at
14%, the front body area at 12%, projections(minors, drip
rails, window recesses etc.) at 7%, and engine
compartment and skin friction at 6% each.
Different designs generally used
in solar cars

• The design required is selected

considering the factors mentioned
in the previous slides and also the
type and efficiency of the solar
panels being used and the other
restrictions and conditions under
which the vehicle is being built
Batteries

• The batteries store energy from the solar array and make them available
for the motor’s use. Batteries that are commonly used in solar cars are
Lead-acid batteries, Li-ion batteries, Ni-MH batteries, Ni-Cd batteries,
Flooded-cell batteries and Gel-cell batteries.
TILTING PANEL

• The suns rays may not fall on

the solar panels directly, as the
sun moves from east to west
according to the time. Hence
tilting panels are used so that
by tilting the solar panels, we
can allow the suns rays to fall
directly on the panels.
Advantages of a solar vehicle

• A solar car has zero harmful emissions hence it is eco-friendly.

• It uses renewable source of energy which can never be exhausted.
• They work silently hence no noise pollution.
• As the life span of solar modules is more than 30 years the life span of a
solar car is also more when compared to a regular car.
• The fuel used is sunlight which is unlimited and free of cost.
Disadvantages of a solar vehicle

• A solar car provides less speed.

• It is expensive.
• Maintenance cost of a solar car is high.
• Due to their light weight body and small size they are considered to be
dangerous in case an accident happens.
• Performance of a solar car will be affected in unfriendly weather
conditions, like on a cloudy day or when night falls.
Applications of a solar car

• Solar cars are used in industries where small vehicles are used to perform
light weight conveys work from one place to another.
• These vehicles are primarily manufactured for racing competitions and
engineering exercises.
• It is used as day to day transportation device.
• They are used in places where, fuel based vehicles are banned due to
production of pollution and noise.
• They are often used and sponsored by government agencies.
CO2 Emissions

Pounds of CO2 per passenger mile:

• Gas cars: 0.9 pounds per passenger mile
• Electric Vehicles: 0.5 pounds per
passenger mile
• Public Transportation (Buses and Trains):
0.2pounds per passenger mile