SOLAR CARS

AN OVERVIEW

Powered by suns 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 ptype semiconductor
grouped into space grade
and terrestrial grade
categories
Encapsulation
Array
SUNRUNNER'S array
consisted of 14,057 razorblade sized, 16% efficient
space grade cells.

Solar array

LIMITATIONS

Only 1000 W/m2 of energy reaches the earths surface

in an hour of peak sun
average solar array configuration spans 8m
total amount of energy hitting the solar car during peak
sun is 8KWh/m
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

Semi - monocoque or carbon beam

welded tube structure to support the loads and the body

body is a lightweight, non-load bearing, composite shell
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

filler materials

Carbon fibre, Kevlar and fibre glass

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