Guest guest Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 I'm not an authority on solar power, but I believe Nick is accurate in his statements. Electric cars typically hook up several deep cycle 6 volt or 12 volt batteries in series to run an electric motor off 48 volts. I once had an electric car and hooked up an amp meter to it, and the power drain was enormous when accelerating from a stop. Solar power rechargers that would fit on the car work best with lower voltages, and to get the maximum benefit, they need to follow and face the sun to work most efficiently. The Puget Sound area typically does not even get enough sunshine to make it worthwhile. Ron Koenig RawSeattle , courtney Linclau <claydexterous> wrote: > Nick, > > I'll listen to your advice about the solar energy stuff if you can HONESTLY tell me that you're an authority on solar power. > > -Courtney > > > Nick <nick.hein@v...> wrote: > Courtney, > I worked for a shop in Seattle that does electric conversions of conventional cars. http://www.cloudelectric.com/ You should do the math on the power available from the sun and the cost of batteries. With current solar cell and battery technology there is no financial benefit to using solar cells or converting a conventional ICE (internal combustion engine) car to electric. Current cars are so overbuilt that they require a large, heavy and expensive bank of batteries. You will be far better off with a vehicle that is custom- built for electric. However, conversions are still worthwhile if your trips are short and you don't carry alot of payload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.