Solar Panel Calculator

Solar Panel Calculator

Is it possible for a solar powered car to exist?

I was looking at a calculator that was solar powered the other day and I wondered why cant there be a car that is solar powered. I know that since it is solar powered the energy obviously has to come from the Sun so I thought why not only put the cars where it is always sunny. the solar panels could go on the roof.

No. At least not without a major break through.

A car, even with solar panels on the roof, hood and trunk would not have enough surface area to get enough sunlight to make the car run. Solar panels are just not that efficient, and work best in direct sunlight and in most places that is only for a couple hours a day(10am to 2pm). And you would need to keep the panels clean, and cars get dirty fast. and replace them often.

And there is the battery problem. The car would need a huge battery, that was very heavy. And the heaver the car, the more energy it takes to move the car. And a car alone is heavy, as it needs to stay on the road and not fly off the ground. And a battery loses power at night, even more so in the cold, so chances are the car would not start in the morning.

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