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Bloomberg’s Hyperdrive Comments on Solar
This is a clip from their daily blog:
The quest to develop a solar-powered car that is at once functional, useful and practical has stumped more than the young wizards at MIT. In February, Sono Group said it would abandon its Sion solar-electric car after failing to raise enough money for the project. A month earlier, Dutch startup Lightyear suspended production of its €250,000 ($264,450) solar car and filed for bankruptcy. (Both declined interviews for this piece.)
California’s Aptera Motors, while happy with its three-wheeled solar-powered machine, has struggled to complete a crowdfunding campaign to get it into production.
For about 40 years, car companies, startups and DIY enthusiasts have been pursuing the plug-less electric car, one that could wirelessly recharge via photons. But as logistical and economic hurdles continue to stymie those projects, the more immediate future of solar-powered vehicles is becoming clear: smaller, lighter, cheaper systems built to subtly augment electric driving, rather than power it in full. This practical approach is the dad jeans of solar driving, and in a couple of years it could be everywhere.
But the impracticalities aren’t stopping companies from continuing to try; after all, the sun is hard to ignore and it never stops showing up. The next American Solar Challenge takes place in June, and Aptera is one of several startups still working to get a sun-powered passenger car over the financing finish line.
Instead of trying to maximize the size of the car’s solar array, Aptera set out to minimize the car itself. Its vehicle approximates a silicon-skinned tadpole; even the doors scissor open like gills. The Aptera is 36% lighter than a Toyota Prius, 38% more aerodynamic than a Tesla Model S and cuts down on rolling resistance by using three wheels instead of four.
As a result, Aptera’s whip can squeeze about 40 miles out of a day’s sun, slightly more than the 31 miles a day covered by the average US driver.
“It’s really just a math equation,” says Chris Anthony, Aptera’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “Turns out, we could come up with a really compelling formula and solution.”When Anthony started cobbling the Aptera together about a decade ago, solar panels were half as efficient as they are today, and electric motors and lithium-ion batteries were prohibitively expensive. Today, Aptera is free-riding on the billions of R&D dollars that the auto industry sunk into electrification in recent years.
Still, the sun is slow-charging at best. Topping up the Aptera rig solely from its roof array takes about a week, though the car can also be plugged in. And Aptera is nowhere near road-ready, at least not at scale.
The company is currently pitching its prototype to investors, hoping to land a check big enough to produce the vehicle en masse.
Meanwhile, most Americans don’t want to sacrifice size and comfort for sustainability on the road; they want “rolling houses,” Anthony says.But Aptera doesn’t need most Americans to buy its vehicle; it just needs a few, and the 42,000 who have already ordered one are a start.
As the market for solar-powered driving continues to evolve, one thing that hasn’t changed is Anthony’s sales pitch: “You get all the fuel from the giant nuclear power plant in the sky.” — By Kyle Stock -
8 Replies
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Bloomberg’s Hyperdrive Comments on Solar
updated 6 months ago
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Here’s a non paywalled version of the article: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/485911-solar-powered-electric-cars-are-gaining-popularity.html
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The comment that Aptera is nowhere near production has a matter of perspective to it. If they meen not this calendar year they are proabaply right, but it should be with in a actual year from now.
If Aptera could get a Delta in the Solar chalange this year (even though it would not win, as it is designed for two in confort) it would make headlines as no production ready vehicle has ever been entered. However it may not quialify as I think the rules now requir 4 wheels. Possibly it could unofficaly compeat just to show that it could.
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If Aptera could get a Delta in the Solar chalange this year (even though
it would not win, as it is designed for two in confort) it would make
headlines as no production ready vehicle has ever been entered. However
it may not quialify as I think the rules now requir 4 wheels. Possibly
it could unofficaly compeat just to show that it could.The “solar challenge” in the U.S. this year is just a track event (FSGP) and there is a class known as MOV (multi-occupant vehicle). I think you’re right that 4 wheels are required for that class this year in the U.S. but I would think the event would consider allowing Aptera to demo. FYI, technically, it’s likely Aptera wouldn’t “win” because it has too small a solar array, too big a battery, too heavy and is overall too inefficient. On the other hand, Aptera would show up, presumably, with a fully built/tested car unlike most of the undergraduate engineering university teams!
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David,
“No where near production” is a correct assessment if production is a year or more out. (Most probable scenario) There is no way Aptera can get a car into the Solar Challenge this year. How is that possible if production is a year away?? (A delta is a vehicle that is produced with production parts and production processes). Also, why would Aptera expend resources to do this instead of allocating those resources to production and testing?? There would be little value from the “Buzz” if the Aptera was not being sold in the market. Possibly an exercise when Aptera is in steady state production earning revenue from sales and margin for growth.
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That would generate some really good publicity, especially as Aptera isn’t widely known at this stage. It would be a good opportunity to showcase what is possible.
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My 12 year old “run of the mill” solar panels are rated at 15.2% efficient. As I recall, SunPower’s panels back then were 18 to 19%. Today’s “premium” most efficient solar panels (Maxeon/Sunpower) are rated at ~23%. I wonder why so many people think today’s panels are so much better.
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One way to look at it is that the new panels are over 50% more efficient than your 12 year old panels were when new. That’s a big improvement in my book. Other important improvement factors include longevity and cost. Today you get more efficient panels that last way longer and cost much less. That adds up to a huge improvement.
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But only about 25% more efficient than “premium” panels available over a decade ago. That’s a far cry from 100% more efficient as the article outright claims. While I have no argument with the cost per rated watt being much lower today, it is not true that todays panels will last “way” longer. My panels are warranted for 25 years. Most comparable panels today have similar warranties.
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