Solar car presented by Indian students + video

Facepla.net magazine has talked about solar cars and other solar-powered vehicles. Every day more and more people want to create their own version of a solar car.

SolarMobil, a team of 27 enthusiastic engineers at Manipul University, India, has built a two-seater solar-powered car capable of accelerating to 120 km/h. They represent India at the 2014 South African Solar Challenge (SASOL14).

The first model of the team – a single-seat racing car – was introduced in 2011. Now the team is back with another car that they have been working hard on for the past three years. The second model of the SolarMobil team has urban design and makings for commercial use.

The Dubbed Solar Electric Road Vehicle (SERVe) is a two-speed and can accelerate normally to 120 km/h, or up to 60 km/h when only solar power is used.



The final design of SERVe took the team 15 months to complete. At the moment, they are still working on fine-tuning the body elements to give an “aerodynamic” appearance.



The final calibration and data collection tests will then begin. Upon completion of all stages, SolarMobil will take part in the SASOL14, an international racing event featuring cars powered exclusively by solar power.

During the event, cars will need to drive 4000 km across the expanses of Young Africa. It will take about 8 to 10 days to overcome the distance, which will help SolarMobil assess the endurance of the car. The SERVe is equipped with a high-capacity battery, giving the car the ability to travel 300-350 km on a single charge. However, the range of the trip can be increased with the help of solar panels that charge the battery.



The event will be attended by teams from all over the world. This reflects the confidence of the team that their SERVe car has better performance than its competitors. The cost of building SERVe was approximately $ 50,000, which is 30 times lower than the average cost of competitors. This makes the vehicle an incredibly attractive proposition.

A very cheap solar electric car is a good option that will direct such famous brands as Tata Power Solar, Element14, Agni Motors, KEI, Kelly Controls, Altair Hyperworks, etc., to help the team. But this is only for the development stage of the project, which will require additional costs until the product reaches the market.

SolarMobil’s futuristic approach is a fresh idea that could change the way the global automotive industry works. Automakers continue to introduce electric and hybrid models, but they are not popular in India due to the lack of infrastructure and high cost.

On the other hand, solar cars have low production costs and are powered by solar power, giving them a huge advantage over electric cars and hybrids.



based on solarmobilmanipal.in

Source: facepla.net