The Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy in Vehicles

Can solar energy power a vehicle? The answer is “yes”, but because nothing is free in life, you will have to invest in some solar panels which (in time) will offer you the possibility of enjoying free rides. You will forget about visiting gas stations and you will not pay a single cent for fuel.

Benefits and shortcomings of using solar panels in cars

The advantages of using solar panels in cars are obvious. They function mostly like the panels placed on the roofs of houses that already benefit of this type of green energy. In fact, most of those that have enjoyed the use of solar power in their houses, would love to use the same type of system in their cars.

A plus for the solar panels used for cars is that they are lesser and are not used all the time. A house has all sorts of appliances that are powered all the time, like the fridge, TV set, media player, the security system and many others, so the panels have to provide energy permanently. In the case of a car, those panels have to provide energy only when the engine is running.

Solar panels harness the energy from the sun, converting them into electricity. That electricity fuels the battery, which further on, transmits the energy to the car’s motor. However, some changes have to be performed inside of your vehicle, because you have to connect the battery you already have or replace it with another one that is capable of connecting to solar panels. Keep in mind that this operation must not be performed under any circumstances by yourself; plus it is generally very expensive; you should visit an automotive center, where people specialized in such things will perform this operation. If you want to avoid the replacement of your car battery, you can ask the technician to make the connections necessary to transmit the power from the solar panels directly to an electric motor.

In other words, this means that you have to buy an electric car and use solar panels for powering the engine. The costs of buying an electric car nowadays may be high, but you have to think that your investment is going for the long haul.

An investment like this can be recovered in several years, especially if you use solar energy from the beginning. With the worlds oil supply running out, we will start to see more solar powered vehicles on the road.