http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/will-solar-roads-change-electric-cars.html
Solar-powered roads seem like a perfect fit for electric cars, right?
- By Team Planet Green Wed Oct 13, 2010 08:45
Solar roads and highways could really change the game for electric cars.Colin Anderson/Getty Images
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This post, part of a series we're running all about electric cars, was written by Patrick E. George from HowStuffWorks.com.
We all know solar panels are a great way to generate renewable power, but where to put them? The only problem with solar panels, besides their inherent high price, is the surface area required to set them up. While it's a common sight to see them on the rooftops of homes and buildings, some engineers are experimenting with putting solar panels on roads -- or rather, making roads out of solar panels.
A company called Solar Roadways has received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The prototype they're developing includes a solar cell, a light-emitting diode, an ultracapacitor and a layer of glass that vehicles would actually drive on, according to this article in Scientific American. Will such roads become a reality someday? Possibly, if scientists can find a way to develop a type of glass that vehicles can drive on safely.
A highway made out of glass, solar panels and electricity distributors could have a variety of applications. One mile (1.6 kilometers) of such a roadway could potentially power up to 500 homes! But since cars would be traveling on this solar highway, how would it affect electrically powered cars?
First, they could provide easy access to charging stations. Range anxiety is a popular buzzword surrounding electric cars these days. It refers to the fear of running out of juice while you're too far from your home or a charging station.
But having solar roadways that constantly generate electricity could mean being able to place charging stations just about anywhere, including remote parts of the highway.
Furthermore, scientists have recently been experimenting with the wireless transmission of electricity -- that is, sending electricity from a power source to a device like a cell phone or TV without a physical connection between the two. Sounds like science fiction, right? Except that according to Fast Company, it isn't. Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have already figured it out. Now take that technology a step further and apply it to cars. If we had solar roads absorbing sunlight and generating electricity, they could transmit it to battery-powered cars as they drive along at highway speeds.
The way things are going, we could talk about going to the gas station like our grandparents talked about using telephone booths.
More on electric cars
Special Feature: Electric Cars
Electric Cars Driving the Future (View and Vote Slideshow)
Will Solar Electric Cars Ever Become Affordable?
We all know solar panels are a great way to generate renewable power, but where to put them? The only problem with solar panels, besides their inherent high price, is the surface area required to set them up. While it's a common sight to see them on the rooftops of homes and buildings, some engineers are experimenting with putting solar panels on roads -- or rather, making roads out of solar panels.
A company called Solar Roadways has received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The prototype they're developing includes a solar cell, a light-emitting diode, an ultracapacitor and a layer of glass that vehicles would actually drive on, according to this article in Scientific American. Will such roads become a reality someday? Possibly, if scientists can find a way to develop a type of glass that vehicles can drive on safely.
A highway made out of glass, solar panels and electricity distributors could have a variety of applications. One mile (1.6 kilometers) of such a roadway could potentially power up to 500 homes! But since cars would be traveling on this solar highway, how would it affect electrically powered cars?
First, they could provide easy access to charging stations. Range anxiety is a popular buzzword surrounding electric cars these days. It refers to the fear of running out of juice while you're too far from your home or a charging station.
But having solar roadways that constantly generate electricity could mean being able to place charging stations just about anywhere, including remote parts of the highway.
Furthermore, scientists have recently been experimenting with the wireless transmission of electricity -- that is, sending electricity from a power source to a device like a cell phone or TV without a physical connection between the two. Sounds like science fiction, right? Except that according to Fast Company, it isn't. Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have already figured it out. Now take that technology a step further and apply it to cars. If we had solar roads absorbing sunlight and generating electricity, they could transmit it to battery-powered cars as they drive along at highway speeds.
The way things are going, we could talk about going to the gas station like our grandparents talked about using telephone booths.
More on electric cars
Special Feature: Electric Cars
Electric Cars Driving the Future (View and Vote Slideshow)
Will Solar Electric Cars Ever Become Affordable?
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