The green road to the future

Appearing online in: se7en magazine (1 February 2009)
http://www.sevenglobal.org/index.php/culture/57-global/334-the-green-road-to-the-future.html


With evidence piling up against the carbon skid mark left behind by ordinary vehicles, petrol heads may have to face up to the fumes and look to the sky for a vital source of energy that will keep people behind the wheel for generations to come.

Before speed freaks sneer at the idea of green machines rivalling good old fashioned petrol power, the world’s fastest solar car now peaks at 110 mph.

The development of solar technology has come a long way since Alan Freeman built the first road-worthy model in 1979. This early prototype looked more like a tricycle with a bizarre roof fitting, not something that could be driven safely, and legally, down a main road. But the prototype’s roof fitting, as well as providing decent shelter in the rain, was made up of hundreds of solar cells that converted the sun’s energy into electricity, thus powering the car along England’s countryside roads.

With a top speed of 12 mph, nobody driving it had to worry about causing serious damage, or breaking the speed limit. Although it would have been more practical to ride your bike to the local shop instead of hoping for a ray of sun to charge the battery, the bar had been set for solar cars.

Today’s solar cars, with their stream-lined designs, seem to have floated off the pages of science fiction books, but they share the same basic principle as Freeman’s revolutionary model.

Durham University is home to one of Britain’s few solar car racing teams, DUSC. The team recently took part in the North American Solar Challenge, completing the 2,500 mile course in 10 days.

Dr. David Sims-Williams, an engineering lecturer at Durham University, said: “We hear a lot of doom and gloom about the environment and about the impact of transport. I think that our students are setting a really positive example by showing how engineering and science can provide solutions.”

Although the solar cars used in international solar challenges are designed for race purposes, the technology used can be implemented in the mainstream motoring industry.

It is easy to doubt the potential of solar energy, especially if you live in dreary Britain. On its own, it does not seem reliable enough to meet the demands of everyday motoring; the technology is too dependent on good weather. But, Sims-Williams believes that the future “as far as cars are concerned, is electric.”

Solar panels only harness a portion of the sun’s energy. This energy can be stored so that the vehicle can drive regardless of rain or shine, but without sun on a regular basis, motorists could find themselves stuck. If solar panels were able to utilize all of the sun’s energy, and batteries were able to store it accordingly, then it would be a different story.

Solar car teams around the world are all pioneers in their field, chartering unknown territory and aiding the development of this technology so that it can be of more use in our everyday lives. “Hybrid, fuel cell, solar and battery-powered cars all use similar drive-trains and much of the technology being developed on the Durham University Solar Car will carry over to everyday vehicles of the future,” Sims-Williams said.

We may still be a long way from free driving courtesy of the sun, but solar technology has advanced so much over the years, it is unlikely to cease now. Sims-Williams foresees a lasting union between motoring and solar technology. He said: “Of all the renewable energy sources, solar has the greatest long term potential and could meet all of the world's energy needs. The main obstacle is that solar is much more expensive than other energy sources.”

For now, however, the future is hybrid. Electricity bills are high enough without having to plug your car into the mains. Oil supplies are depleting. Until solar energy, which is free after the initial cost of production, is 100% reliable, hybrid technology is paving the green way, but these cars of the future are costly.

Swiss company Mindset AG announced in 2008 that 10,000 of its petrol-electric hybrid model, the Six50, will be going on sale this year. The Six50 will be fitted with solar roof panels powering lithium-ion batteries. With a fully charged battery, you will be free to drive for about 62 miles, avoiding the cost of the petrol pump, but this hybrid coupe will initially set you back around £50,000.

When that battery starts to run low, just before you start cursing gathering clouds on the horizon and wondering why you did not buy something a little more reliable with that hard-earned cash, a two cylinder petrol engine theoretically kicks into action. Any notion you might have had of being environmentally friendly disperses, adding to all the other hot air in the atmosphere, but at least you can now drive for a further 496 miles.

Regardless of the carbon omitted by the Six50 as eco-energy is swapped for conventional fuel, its mass production is a testament to the development of solar technology.

Manufacturing giants Toyota and Honda are now going head to head in the latest development of hybrid technology and, with their respective Prius and Insight models, prices are already falling.

Using alternative energy to power the majority of our vehicles and stave off our addiction to fossil fuel no longer seems to be a distant, unaffordable dream of a clean, green motoring future.