A solar powered vehicle should at first be judged on how well it functions in the environment it was designed for. This means that the solar powered vehicle should perform as good as other vehicles.
But not all advantages can be seen by just looking at the performance of the vehicle. They can be traced back in e.g. lower environmental impact or lower investments in infrastructure.
Below we will highlight as much aspects of the economics of solar powered vehicles as possible.
Gas vs Electric vs Solar
| Gas golf car | Electric golf car | Solar golf car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily range (Mileage) |
High, refilling can be done quickly | Low, and batteries take time to recharge | Good, sun adds free energy and increases battery performance |
| Noise | Noisy | No noise | No noise |
| Pollution | Yes, burns fossil fuel, so CO2 emission | No, if charged with green electricity | No, if powered by the sun only |
| Maintenance | High maintenance, many moving parts | Low maintenance | Very low maintenance if equipped with solar gell batteries |
| Energy costs | Medium, but will increase in the future | Low, but will increase in the future | None, if powered by the sun only, also in the future |
Smart grid ready
All battery powered electric vehicles have the big advantage that they can be an active part of a "smart grid", the electricity network of the near future. A solar powered electric vehicle can be of even higher value since it is able to produce electricity with its built-in solar panels.
So looking in the near future we could see solar powered electric buses contributing to the smart grid by storing cheap electricity at times when there is too much wind, and supplying at times when there is just too little. A golf course with let's say 200 solar powered golf cars could contribute on an even bigger scale, profitting from its capability to store and produce considerable amounts of electricity.