Why are solar cars not ready for day-to-day use?
by 
baseballboy
ANSWERS: 10
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They cost nothing to power, and the Government hasn't figured out how to tax you for use of sunlight.
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It takes A LOT of solar panels to generate just a few watts of power. Solar cars would weigh more than the voltage you could supply to move them.
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At the moment, the biggest problem is that a solar car capable of reaching decent speeds (30 mph or greater) is only capable of carrying one person--the driver. Accommodating one or more passengers and luggage, and making the car comfortable, involve tradeoffs in aerodynamics that make the car too inefficient. In addition, they can't be driven at night! I believe the current ideas are to make fully electric battery-powered vehicles that partially recharge by solar power, but it must be supplemented by plugging into another electric source, since the photocells do not generate enough energy to fully charge the car within a few hours. There is also talk of combining solar power with a hybrid car, which would slightly reduce gasoline consumption.
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and big oil has the money and influence to slow production.
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Solar cars have been around for a while, but with recent developments in solar car design and the measurement of photovoltaic cells becoming smaller, the dream of a truly efficient solar cars is more reality than fantasy. Read about it at http://www.futurecars.com/futurecars/solar_cars1.html
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They are not ready because of the 3 main factors econmy, technology, and cost of product. The economy is not ready to give up forgiegn gas. the second reason is the aerodynamics, the nessecasry speed, and the confort. Then if the produce this product it will be to expensive for an average salary.
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Pure solar cars never will be ready for day-to-day use. The sunlight isn't strong enough to meet the energy requirements for more than a short drive each day.
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The conversion process is still not efficient enough for practical use. Extra energy needs to be stored in order for cars to operate at night, in low light conditions, and in cold or hot weather.
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It's cost prohibitive to have enough panels to charge the battery. Toyota is working on puting a solar panel in to charge the A.C. on the prius. It's a baby step but all first steps are http://www.futurecars.com/futurecars/solar_cars1.html
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One of the biggest hurdle is that the machinery for this purpose is not available in low prices because of oil!
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