SOLAR CARS

AN OVERVIEW
Powered by sun’ s energy
Solar array collect the energy from the sun and
converts it into usable electrical energy
Power trackers convert it into the required
voltage
Motor controller sends power to the motor
Divided into five
• Driver Controls & Mechanical Systems
• Electrical System
• Drive Train
• Solar Array
• Body and Chassis
Borealis III Raycing with the Sun
- Photo by Colin Burnett
DRIVER CONTROLS & MECHANICAL
SYSTEMS
Standard features
Steering
• Precise steering alignment
• SUNRUNNER utilized a rack and pinion system
that was attached to the steering arms by
means of tie rods
Brake
• Designed to move freely by eliminating brake drag
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• Regenerative braking
Suspension
• front suspension- MacPhearson struts or double A
arms
• MacPhearson strut requires a large vertical
clearance
• Double A arms require less vertical clearance, but
consist of more components
• rear suspension is a trailing arm, similar to that in
motor cycles
Wheels
• rolling resistance
• three or four wheels
• wheel designs are similar to those of bicycle tires
 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Made up of batteries and power electronics
Batteries
• Lead-Acid
• Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)
• Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad)
• Lithium Ion
• Tesseract uses 512 li-ion batteries
Energy Flow Diagram of a Solar Car
Peak Power Trackers
• maximize the power
• protect the batteries from being damaged by
overcharging
• efficiencies above 95%

Motor Controllers
• decides how much current actually reaches the
motor
• up to 90% efficient
 DRIVE TRAIN
Consist of the electric motor and the means to by
which the motor's power is transmitted the wheel
power generated is less than 5 hp
only one wheel in the rear of the car is driven by
the electric motor
motor types
• brushed DC
• dual winding DC brushless
• induction
Dual-winding DC brushless
• used as an electronic transmission
Types of transmissions
• variable ratio belt drive
• hub motor
 SOLAR ARRAY
made from silicon, by
joining an n-type and a
p-type semiconductor
grouped into space grade
and terrestrial grade
categories
Encapsulation
Array
SUNRUNNER'S array
consisted of 14,057
razor-blade sized, 16%
efficient space grade
Solar array
 LIMITATIONS
• Only 1000 W/m2 of energy reaches the earth’ s
surface in an hour of “ peak sun”
• average solar array configuration spans 8m²
• total amount of energy hitting the solar car during
peak sun is 8KWh/m²
• average solar cells are only able to convert 12% to
18% to electricity
• the total amount of converted energy available to a
car consists of 700-1500 Watts
• three primary areas of energy loss consist of
• aerodynamic drag, braking, and rolling resistance
 BODY & CHASSIS

goals
• minimize the
aerodynamic drag
• maximize the exposure
to solar insolation
• minimize weight
• maximize safety
Body Shapes

• Unified aero body and panel

• Fixed or tilting, flat panels with a separate driver cab
• Catamaran shape
• uniquely designed shape
MAIZE & BLUE and SUNRUNNER are catamaran
shaped.
Chassis
• space frame
• welded tube structure to support the loads and the
body
• body is a lightweight, non-load bearing, composite
shell
• Semi - monocoque or carbon beam
• composite beams and bulkheads to support the
loads
• integrated into a non-load bearing composite belly
pan
• monocoque
• uses the body structure to support the loads
 MATERIALS USED
composite material
combination of a filler material sandwiched
between layers of a structural material
structural materials
• Carbon fibre, Kevlar and fibre glass
filler materials
• Honeycomb and foam
bonded together using epoxy resins
 FALLING SHORT
characteristics that a commercially viable car
• extremely reliable
• comfortable
• be able to function on its own
• maintain the required speed
• amenities such as air conditioning, radio, and power locks
and windows
Solar cars
• Limited seating capacity
• Frequent flat tyres
• Often was incapable of maintaining highway speeds
 THE FUTURE
IN THE SHORT TERM
terrestrial application of the rovers that NASA
uses in space
Data collection in a hot, sun rich area
Carry-over of expertise
• substantial advances to the design of electric vehicles
• better motors, better use of batteries, and better motor
controller design
composite hull car
spread the word about the use of harnessing
solar power
 IN THE LONG RUN

Electric car
Increase in petroleum prices
short distance commutation
improvements
THANK YOU