Solar Team Eindhoven: A practical car on Solar Energy

[Chevalr1c]

Solar Team Eindhoven (affiliated with Eindhoven Technical University) is working on a practical automotive vehicle on solar energy. With other words, it is supposed to be having more room for passengers and be less flat than those like "conventional" solar vehicles.

My sister is involved with the project as well (Aerodynamics, IIRC). And no, there is no car yet.

Website: http://www.solarteameindhoven.nl/nl/pages/#!/home

[WhiteLotus]

Your sister is kinda hot.

[Chevalr1c]

ROFL She is not looking for a BF ATM, she is way to busy working on that car and her graduation.

[Morgoth]

Super ik wist niet dat ze zo iets deden in Nederland.
Werk je er zelf ook me?
Excuse my dutch

[Chevalr1c]

Oops you were typing in Dutch there.

No, I am not qualified for such work, and study at a different institute. I still find this rather cool though. BTW, Delft has helped science of this kind as well with their Nuna series (which is a different class).

[Widjaja]

Skipped straight to 1:32 since your native language sounds like a record being played in a reverse.
Looks like your sister was schooling the guy next to her.

Wold be nice to have a car which runs on solar power and is practical.
My Boy Racer days are over.
I want to hear nothing but the car stereo.

[pacifire01]

As an Electrical Engineer and car lover, i would like to see Solar cars with a conventional design/shape and features of a car. We sure need more development in solar collector technology.
I'm also working on my project which will make our vehicles run without any fossil fuel nor solar panels and electricity from grid.

[Chevalr1c]

New video on the organisational aspects of the project and information on Solar Miles (the support the effort financially).

[RejZoR]

Only problem is that such cars will only work in California, Florida, Australia and so on. Places which are mostly flat and have sun through most of the year. Here in Europe which is scattered with hills, tunnels and quite long winters, it just wouldn't work.

[Chevalr1c]

I expect to see those things mainly use grid electricity in Europe indeed (yes it will be "pluggable", and it is likely to have a Kinetic Energy Regeneration System, IIRC). But then again, I am a layman in such affairs.

[hat]

Originally Posted by Chevalr1c

I expect to see those things mainly use grid electricity in Europe indeed (yes it will be "pluggable", and it is likely to have a Kinetic Energy Regeneration System, IIRC). But then again, I am a layman in such affairs.

That makes sense, we already recharge our batteries as we drive. Though I'm sure a simple alternator alone won't be enough to power a whole car, even in an upscaled design, it can help.

[ShiBDiB]

I only watched to see what your sister looked like

[Chevalr1c]

Sexist

[Widjaja]

Originally Posted by Chevalr1c

Sexist

It's the dawning of the new age.
If there is a hot female in the video of a project which males generally scoff at...we will give the idea a wide birth.

[Chevalr1c]

Update 3: the weight factors and the used materials.

[Aquinus]

I could see solar supplementing an already existing hybrid-like system but I don't like the idea of relying on it.

[Chevalr1c]

It can be charged by mains power as well, fortunately. And the car is going to lay the basis for next prototypes for the World Solar Challenge editions (and further research) that are/is yet to come. It is not a prototype for a production vehicle.

[de.das.dude]

this is good news. also its great to see young people working on this!
but i doubt how practical it will be after price consideration since good solar panels are expensive.

[Chevalr1c]

It is hard for me to predict how much the prices for solar panels will drop over the years. And combustion engine based cars were expensive as well when they first appeared on the market.

This car (in its current form) will not get into production anytime soon anyway. It is primarily a starting phase for later, similar projects like the Nuna series that strives for boosting scientific research and of course the competition in the World Solar Challenge. The main diference with the Nunas (which are Challenger class EVs) however, is the strive for practicality, hence the participation in the so-called Cruiser class that will be part of the Solar Challenge for the first time this year.

[de.das.dude]

it was pretty clear that their main goal is to enter the solar challenge. its a good way to get noticed.

[Chevalr1c]

I empahsised it for the sake of clarity, because you did speak up about a long-term concern (cost of production --> market fitness).

[DanTheBanjoman]

Originally Posted by Morgoth

Super ik wist niet dat ze zo iets deden in Nederland.
Werk je er zelf ook me?
Excuse my dutch

You should read the news then, the Dutch are well represented at various solar challenges and have been for quite some years. Which is odd since there is no sun here.

[Chevalr1c]

Involved students told me that they had acces to data on what solar panels in the Netherlands (power plants and on roofs) tend to generate. Based on the average amount generated per month, they think that only December and January (in the Netherlands at least) are months in which one is guaranteed to be relying much more on the power grid.
Although I suppose that in the Nordic countries or northern Canada the power grid would be needed much more (because of the (near) darkness during several months).

Edit: I have seen a computer animation unvealing the final looks of the car, the official unvealing will be somewhere in June. The vehicle looks nice enough to me

[m1dg3t]

Cool! Good to see it progressing

The image they displayed for the mold is not the actual design of the vehicle is it? Doesn't look very aerodynamic to me Then again i haven't seen it in the wind

Are they using narrow tires/wheels? That combined with ceramic bearings (may be cost prohibitve) could reduce rolling resistance.