- [Glen] Humans have utilized the power of the sun
for millennia now.
Starting back in the seventh century BC,
we would use glass to concentrate sunlight to start fires.
Fast forward to today,
we've created solar-powered cars, boats, and even buildings.
I'm Glen, and today we're taking a look
at some of the history of solar-powered vehicles
and we'll also peer into what the future of solar holds
with 15 solar-powered vehicles.
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- [Announcer] Number 15.
- [Glen] Back in 1955,
William G. Cobb from the company General Motors,
built a small, 15-inch car completely powered by solar.
First shown off at GM's auto Powerama convention,
the tiny car ran off of a small motor
that used a pulley system to turn the back wheels.
It used 12 photovoltaic cells made from selenium,
but it wasn't yet practical for commercial use
as it didn't produce much power.
But it showed the potential of solar-powered technology.
- [Announcer] Number 14.
- [Glen] AeroVironment,
founded way back in 1971 by Paul MacCready,
was experimenting alongside NASA on solar-powered aircraft,
testing long flights at high altitudes.
They started at the end of 1980 with batteries
and then moved to solar power.
16,128 solar cells were packed
onto its 46.5-foot wingspan and stabilizer,
and allowed it to set an initial altitude record
of 14,300 feet.
The aircraft proved to be a huge success
and showed why
by flying 163 miles across the English Channel
and staying in the air for over five hours.
- [Announcer] Number 13.
- [Glen] UNSW's sixth manufactured vehicle, the Violet,
is a four-seat vehicle
designed to resemble a more family-oriented car.
It possesses a solar array
of 318 monocrystalline silicon cells
with an efficiency of 22%,
a considerable improvement from their previous designs.
The DC motors can haul the Violet up to 87 miles per hour.
The vehicle participated in the 2017 World Solar Challenge,
placing third in practicality.
Also, in December of 2018 the team took a challenge
to travel across Australia from coast to coast.
That was just under 2,550 miles
enduring various hardy weather conditions.
Completing the challenge with two days to spare,
Violet set a Guinness World Record
for lowest energy consumption driving trans-Australia.
- [Announcer] Number 12.
- [Glen] Intending to create an aircraft
that could fly anywhere in the world
without fuel, roads, or human-made structures of any kind,
Solar Ship created, among others, the Caracal.
Setting a record for the heaviest fixed-wing aircraft
taking off within a soccer field
the Caracal, like everything here, is 100% solar powered.
The Caracal is designed to be amphibious with its landing,
being able to land in almost any setting.
It's also able to be entirely remotely operated,
working as just a big drone.
As mentioned before, they have other models,
all solar powered.
Some are drones, while others are complete aircraft.
They even have a few balloon varieties.
All are designed to be able to land anywhere,
providing provisions, supplies,
or anything else hard-to-reach places may need.
- [Announcer] Number 11.
- [Glen] PlanetSolar's solar-powered ship
completed a world tour entirely powered by solar.
It was the first of its kind,
setting a ton of solar-related records,
including fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean,
largest solar boat, and most extended solar-powered trip.
It's one of the few companies showing its innovations
strictly to promote the use of clean energy.
The ship itself is covered head to toe
with 38,000 photovoltaic cells
totalling 5,770 square feet of solar panels.
This, along with 12 tons of lithium-ion batteries,
allows the craft to run for three days without sunshine.
The 120-kilowatt motors
let it run at a cruising speed of five knots,
so it's no surprise
it has a high cell-yield efficiency of 22.6%.
- [Announcer] Number 10.
- [Glen] Lightyear was founded back in 2016
by five people who had all already worked together in 2013.
They set their sights on making a solar-powered vehicle
available to the public with their Lightyear One.
Still the vehicle is in development,
but promises to drive for up to months
without having to stop and charge.
A normal range is expected to be up to 500 miles,
and four-wheel drive means you can go almost anywhere.
The frame is being built
with a mix of aluminum and carbon fiber,
making it durable and light,
adding to the overall efficiency of the vehicle.
Their current tests show the aerodynamics of the car
are rated higher than any available vehicle at the moment,
and that's just another feature to add to the list.
- [Announcer] Number nine.
- [Glen] This next entry is for those select few
who can put the words "my yacht" and "eco friendly"
in the same sentence.
Soel's SoelCat 12 is a solar-powered catamaran.
The lightweight fiberglass build,
large solar-panel-topped sunroof,
and sleek design
allow this vessel to be ultra-efficient
gliding through the waves.
Containing two 30-kilowatt-per-hour motors,
this yacht can reach a range
of around 30 knots for six hours.
During downtime, this yacht can act as an AC power station.
Also containing a lithium-ion battery system
to keep the craft powered without solar,
the SoelCat 12 takes luxury yachts
and slaps clean energy all over it.
- [Announcer] Number eight.
- [Glen] CalSol has been building solar-powered vehicles
since 1990,
and racing them since then too.
Their Zephyr, driving since 2014,
has logged over 7,000 miles,
during which it achieved a first and second-place finish
at the Sun Grand Prix.
This 460-pound carbon fiber car
can achieve a top speed of 80 miles an hour
using a Mitsuba 2x3 motor.
It's lasted as long as it has
while achieving its stellar results
partly because of its 24% efficient SunPower E60 cells.
We wanted to give Kia and Hyundai an honorable mention here.
They have unveiled a panoramic solar roof
where the solar panels will be incorporated
into the roof and hoods of their cars.
The electricity generated
can charge the batteries of any vehicle,
and will, of course, help with mileage and fuel efficiency
on top of improving their carbon footprint.
- [Announcer] Number seven.
- [Glen] The SOLLINER solar catamaran
is designed to be just a boat for everyday.
The vessel can fit up to 10 people
in its 21-foot-long cabin,
and with its U-shaped sofa, sun rest, and rear bench,
there is comfortability at every inch.
It's not just a ship for the family, however.
The company states it can also have business applications,
being used as a charter vessel as well.
Being 100% solar powered,
the SOLLINER doesn't produce any exhaust emissions.
That, and with its precise hull design,
it can reach speeds of 7.5 miles per hour,
which is pretty fast for a boat in this class.
The solar-powered vehicle
also produces no noise or excess wash,
allowing for a leisurely cruise
wherever you let this thing loose.
- [Announcer] Number six.
- [Glen] If being the first aircraft
to achieve the longest solo solar flight ever
wasn't impressive enough,
Solar Impulse also completed
the first circumnavigation of the globe with no fuel.
With their 100% solar-powered vehicle,
they flew close to 25,000 miles
to promote the use of renewable energies.
The around-the-word flight started in March of 2015
and took until July of 2016 to complete.
The plane could fly day and night
thanks to its battery banks.
They stored 260 kilowatt-hours of energy,
and were insulated to ensure maximum efficiency.
The plane was the size of a 747 with the weight of a car.
The 236-foot wingspan
allowed them to stuff 17,000 solar cells all over it,
collecting 340 kilowatt-hours of energy every day.
The motors could achieve a max power of 70 horsepower,
but averaged about 17.
This lets the craft reach average speeds
of 46 miles per hour.
- [Announcer] Number five.
- [Glen] More a luxury cruiser than a yacht,
the Solar Impact is a big boat,
but it isn't designed that way.
On top of all the technical marvels stuffed inside,
the yacht is built with a twin-hull design
to help reduce rolling and heeling by up to a claimed 90%.
This 78-foot five-cabin cruiser
can reach an impressive max speed of 18 knots,
all thanks to the large dual 500-kilowatt motors.
Its range allows it to run for 10 hours at cruising speeds.
The solar array on the roof also needs help to power it,
and with 3,200 square feet of solar panels
it can generate up to 320 kilowatt-hours on a sunny day.
- [Announcer] Number four.
- [Glen] Not much information has come out yet,
but Kvaern's e-bike is one to keep your eye on.
With a unique solar power pack,
the included solar panel charges the pack, not the battery.
It's then supposed to transfer the power to the battery,
and in turn power the bike.
This makes it so that you can charge the pack
and still use the bike.
With a 250-watt motor,
the bike can reach speeds of 15 miles per hour
in 4 1/2 seconds with a range of 30 miles.
Another version of this electric bike
can be purchased with or without the pack and panel.
With the motor having up to four efficiency modes,
the e-bike is putting a refreshing look on bike travel.
- [Announcer] Number three.
- [Glen] Byron Bay Train
operates the world's first 100% solar-powered train.
Curved solar panels are fitted on top of both carriages
as well as the storage shed,
also helping recharge the sizable lithium-ion battery bank.
Any excess power generated is exported to an electric grid.
That way, if weather conditions make solar hard to come by,
the batteries can still be charged.
The old diesel engines
were replaced with two electric traction motors,
allowing for up to 15 runs off of a single charge.
They did keep one engine on board, though, for two reasons.
One is to provide weight and balance to the train.
The other is for actual use in case of electrical failures.
The entire train runs off of electricity,
and all that, with LED lights,
makes this an extremely eco-friendly means of travel.
- [Announcer] Number two.
- [Glen] Clean2Antarctica is a nonprofit
that aims to help spread awareness of alternatives
for our lifestyle.
The way they plan to do that
is with an expedition in Antarctica
using a manufactured vehicle
made almost entirely from plastic powered by solar.
It has two trailers with 10 dual-facing solar panels
that chug it along the ice at five miles per hour.
The Solar Voyager also uses its solar power
on specialized tubes to help melt the snow in front of it
to keep efficiency high.
It's entirely experimental.
They've stated that they haven't thoroughly tested it
for the frigid voyage.
Two batteries total 10 kilowatt-hours in case of emergency.
Those batteries can last up to eight hours
on straight terrain.
The vehicle also has removable panels
in case winds are too strong.
The motors have been tested
to perform at temperatures of minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's expected to take 30 days to complete with two drivers,
but with the sunlight being present 24 hours a day,
running out of solar power is not likely.
Suntoucher does exactly what it says.
The solar-powered aircraft
is a high-range, high-altitude flying machine,
and this concept craft has solar panels
covering wingtip to wingtip.
This plane is designed with a long wingspan and glide ratio,
giving it the ultimate efficiency for long-distance flying.
The rotor blades work in two modes,
and when needed can fold up,
turning the plane into a glider.
- [Announcer] Number one.
- [Glen] Cruise liners in particular
are some of the worst ways humans move about the Earth
in terms of pollution.
Companies like Oliver Design, with their cruiser Ecoship,
want to change that.
This is the biggest vehicle on our list,
weighing in at a whopping 60,000 tons.
The solar panels on the ship can produce 750 kilowatts,
and they cover 19,700 square feet.
The solar panels are retractable, and can even act as sails,
helping with the overall efficiency of the vessel.
It will have an engine, powered by diesel,
as well as liquified natural gas.
Compared to similar ships,
this reduces fuel consumption by up to 20%,
and carbon emissions by up to 40%.
Which of these innovative solar vehicles
was the most impressive?
Where do you think we can best utilize
solar energy on Earth?
Let us know in the comments.
You can even leave a suggestion for a topic
and we might cover it in the future,
and as always, thanks for watching.
- Hi, everyone, and thank you for watching.
I'm Chandni with Mind's Eye Design.
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