- #1
CharlohAwk
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Would it be possible to engineer a self-charging vehicle... Harnessing kinetic, solar, and wind energy?
Can Self-Charging Electric Vehicles Reach 60mph Using Renewable Energies?
- Thread starter CharlohAwk
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the feasibility of engineering self-charging electric vehicles that can reach speeds of 60 mph using renewable energy sources such as kinetic, solar, and wind energy. Participants explore theoretical and practical aspects of energy harnessing, efficiency, and design constraints.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- Some participants propose that harnessing kinetic, solar, and wind energy could enable self-charging vehicles, but others argue that this is not feasible for continuous driving without significant sacrifices.
- One participant emphasizes that conservation of energy principles limit the effectiveness of harnessing kinetic energy, as the motor requires energy to gain kinetic energy.
- Concerns are raised about the practicality of solar and wind energy for powering vehicles, with one participant noting that the power generated is insufficient for regular use, leading to long charging times.
- Another participant estimates that a typical electric car requires around 200 Wh/km, and even with optimal solar panel coverage, the energy produced may only allow for limited daily driving distances.
- Participants discuss the design sacrifices necessary for achieving high speeds, suggesting that a vehicle optimized for self-charging would lack comfort and space, impacting its usability.
- One participant mentions a world record for solar-powered vehicles, noting that achieving 60 mph without batteries remains unproven, while adding batteries could increase speed significantly.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the feasibility of self-charging vehicles, with some agreeing on the limitations of current technology and others proposing various models and designs. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practicality and efficiency of such vehicles.
Contextual Notes
Participants highlight limitations related to energy generation, dependence on weather conditions, and the need for substantial design changes to achieve the desired performance. These factors contribute to the uncertainty surrounding the viability of self-charging electric vehicles.
- #2
russ_watters
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Not enough to be perpetually self charging unless you only drive it a few miles a week. For continuous driving you can't come close without major sacrifices.CharlohAwk said:
- #3
mfb
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You cannot violate conservation of energy. Harnessing kinetic energy doesn't work because you need the motor to gain that kinetic energy.
Wind and solar: Possible in principle. In practice the power is way too low to power a regular car that way. You don't want your car to charge for a week just to make a short trip possible.
Wind and solar: Possible in principle. In practice the power is way too low to power a regular car that way. You don't want your car to charge for a week just to make a short trip possible.
- #4
CharlohAwk
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russ_watters said:
What sacrifices??
- #5
mfb
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A typical electric car will need something like 200 Wh/km at typical speed mixtures. If you cover 2 m2 with solar panels, and you live in a sunny area, you might get 2000 Wh per day, or 10 km of driving distance per day - but only if the sun shines.
Want to drive somewhere because it rains? Better hope you had good weather and didn't use your car the days before.
Want to drive for more than 100 km at a time? Then you have to charge for weeks and you'll need large, expensive and heavy batteries.
Wind would be even worse.
Want to drive somewhere because it rains? Better hope you had good weather and didn't use your car the days before.
Want to drive for more than 100 km at a time? Then you have to charge for weeks and you'll need large, expensive and heavy batteries.
Wind would be even worse.
- #6
russ_watters
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The car will need to look like the photo below and have no air conditioning, no passenger room, no cargo space and you have to lay down to drive it. It will go 60mph, but it'll take a minute or two to accelerate to it. That's for continuous driving. Either that or like mfb says, you can have a normal car that you can only drive an average of a couple of miles a day.CharlohAwk said:
- #7
OCR
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I think I see some foolishness in that photo, Russ. ?
Shouldn't the guy taking pictures have a PV system on his hat to recharge his camera battery ?
... and I'll bet Volkswagen is trying to cheat, too ?
Shouldn't the guy taking pictures have a PV system on his hat to recharge his camera battery ?
... and I'll bet Volkswagen is trying to cheat, too ?
Wait!... on second thought...russ_watters said:
Last edited:
- #8
mheslep
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The world record for a vehicled powered only from PV (no batteries) is not quite there yet, 55 mph. No doubt the course was dead level with no headwind and the time close to solar zenith.russ_watters said:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_car_racing#Guinness_world_record
Add batteries and and the top speed is indefinitely higher, forcing the solar car competitions to use long distances to avoid nonsensical outcomes.