The future of carbon fiber? Affordable for most vehicles ?

[All Darc]

In my country people are so silly... A lot spent much more money than they could in a car, just to try to impress others, try to give a impression of rich or wealth.

To give a idea, in some cities there are people who paint the texture of carbon fiber to try to say that can pay for a carbon fiber car.

Originally Posted by Vman455

All this talk about carbon fiber reminded of this car, photographed yesterday at the Chicago Auto Show:

[ASV]

the frame of most cars were nearly identical for quite a long time
I can see how a mas produced frame made of carbon could be very useful
give the frame some flexibility on attachment points like an erector set
make it well enough and it would just make sense to use one
like an off the shelf bolt nobody cuts there own

[freebeard]

https://www.basalt.guru/basalt-fabri...ouch-of-glass/

At last, a fabric coating that maintains basalt’s natural golden color. I have been very disappointed for years in the fact that putting an epoxy or vinyl ester or basically any resin on basalt fabric turned it a dark greenish black color almost like carbon fiber.

Now we can put a new proprietary coating on the basalt fabric so it will keep its awesome golden natural color while also encasing the fibers so they are not fraying or itching when rubbed.

I know what the proprietary coating might be, but there are issues with sizing and silane. Here is a discussion thread about basalt among boatbuilders:

https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/b...r-anyone.6748/

TLDR; works like fiberglass, with advantages. At some cost.

[All Darc]

It's almost a Aptera Car. It can have larger windshield, like Aptera, if solar cells was placed also inside (under windshield area), in the flat place before the steering, wheel where the sun reachs. You can see what I mean if look to aptera from a photo shot from top.



If you drive 35 minutes to work in top speed, and let the car 4 hours on sun, I think you can get back the energy. A car to save the world from petrol

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Yes, it's very neat as an engineering feat, but not practical or applicable to consumer vehicles. 1800W is only 2.4 horsepower, which might drive that car at 55 MPH under ideal conditions. Even if the car were left in the sun to charge, 1.8 kWh is a very low rate.

Vehicles are among the worst place for solar panels. Much better to put them on a roof and angle them to be efficient.

[redpoint5]

I was hoping EVs would usher in an era where standard "skateboard" platforms could be manufactured, with unique bodies attached. The platform could be made of lightweight carbon fiber, with a modular battery capacity stored inside. Crank these out by the millions and merely change the shells to suit customer interests.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by All Darc

If you drive 35 minutes to work in top speed, and let the car 4 hours on sun, I think you can get back the energy. A car to save the world from petrol

If a car had 1800 W of solar panels and could sit in ideal sun for 4hrs, it would recharge 7.2kWh back into the battery. That would get the typical EV 28 miles of range. We don't live in an ideal world, so it would not work out like that.

Much better to put the solar panels on a roof and charge the car from the grid.

BTW, even if we replaced all fossil fuel passenger vehicles with EV, that would not save the world from petrol. It's used much more extensively in many other areas besides personal transportation. It would be a nice start though.

[All Darc]

Solar energy already got competitive, finally. And large solar plants are much less expansive per watt than home solar instalations.

A electric car, Morelli like, with solar cells, could save cost, needing a smaller battery.
Another idea would be a government plan to allow to sell the energy produced by car, when not using after batteries already charged, or at least get energy credits to pay energy bills. It would require a decive to measure and ensure the energy is running to the net, just to avoid frauds.

Sorry, I need to research on web, but the Solarworld N.1 probably have quite better range than 28 miles.
Despite similar aerodynamics, I bet it take less power than Aptera car per mile.

Have you heard about Stella solar car, a solar family car ?

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If a car had 1800 W of solar panels and could sit in ideal sun for 4hrs, it would recharge 7.2kWh back into the battery. That would get the typical EV 28 miles of range. We don't live in an ideal world, so it would not work out like that.

Much better to put the solar panels on a roof and charge the car from the grid.

BTW, even if we replaced all fossil fuel passenger vehicles with EV, that would not save the world from petrol. It's used much more extensively in many other areas besides personal transportation. It would be a nice start though.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by All Darc

...large solar plants are much less expansive per watt than home solar instalations.

A electric car, Morelli like, with solar cells, could save cost, needing a smaller battery.
Another idea would be a government plan to allow to sell the energy produced by car, when not using after batteries already charged, or at least get energy credits to pay energy bills. It would require a decive to measure and ensure the energy is running to the net, just to avoid frauds.

Sorry, I need to research on web, but the Solarworld N.1 probably have quite better range than 28 miles.

Have you heard about Stella solar car, a solar family car ?

Sunshine in Brazil is probably more reliable than most places in the US. An EV battery would still need to be sized large just in case no sunlight was available. You're right that a solar plant would be more efficient than individual solar roofs, which is why it would be more efficient to grid charge an EV with solar energy from the plant.

I don't want any more government programs, but many utilities here already allow excess electricity production to feed back to the grid. We call it net-metering.

The Solarworld N.1 would get much greater range than 28 miles, but nobody would drive such a vehicle. It's designed for efficiency only, not functionality.

[All Darc]

I refer about connect s solar car to a terminal and sells the excedent energy. For home even on Brazil it's possible to get credits of solar energy, producing more energy than consumed during day, with the extra energy going to the grid, and paying the energy consumed during night with the credits created during day. This way you can have a home solar system with no need for battery, but jsut solar panels and inversors.

Would you drive Aptera ?
So why not drive Solarworld No.1 ? If it get front wheels and a windshiled like Aptera, with solar panels in the inside area bellow the windshield :



If I could, have tools, a proper place, budget,and fine knowledge, I would build a Morelli/Aptera shape car, buy SunPower solar cells (22% efficience), a good electric motor with high efficience...

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I don't want any more government programs, but many utilities here already allow excess electricity production to feed back to the grid. We call it net-metering.

The Solarworld N.1 would get much greater range than 28 miles, but nobody would drive such a vehicle. It's designed for efficiency only, not functionality.

[freebeard]

If I could, have tools, a proper place, budget,and fine knowledge, I would build a Morelli/Aptera shape car,

As would I. Things being the way they are, I'm going to buy my way in.



The electric part will be all sorted. Maybe the power will come from a micro-hydro gravity vortex (turbulent.be).

With dropping prices and Peskovite thin film cells, eventually the carport and the car can be covered in solar 'cells'. Ultimately the window areas of the vehicle will convert the non-visible spectrum to power.