When we think of solar energy, we
often think about the sun’s energy providing power for our homes and business
spaces. A group of students at Stanford is changing that way of thinking by taking
solar energy usage out of the home and onto the road, and more specifically, into
a car.
The innovative group is part of
Stanford University’s Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab, also known as VAIL.
This unique lab gives students the rare opportunity to get some really cool
hands-on experience in researching new types of transportation as well as
vehicle engineering.
While the actual concept of
solar-powered cars isn’t exactly a new idea, the team is moving beyond what has
already been created in terms of renewable fuel for consumer-type cars like
hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries. They’re looking farther into the
future are excited to show the public that solar energy is a real option as
engineering in the auto industry develops.
How exactly are they showing us? By attempting
to create a working vehicle that operates using only solar energy.
We’ve heard of “solar powered cars”
a lot in the past decade, yet the concept has yet to effectively come to
fruition. Even in the solar energy boom, the auto industry was hesitant in developing
the idea of creating solar-powered vehicles for mass use. While many solar-powered
prototypes have struggled to compete with a more traditional form of energy,
like hydrogen fuel cells, the VAIL team is hoping that their car will be the
one to hit the roads using the innovative type of renewable energy.
Right
before the students left for Stanford University’s winter break, the students assembled
to see their hard work in action by actually assembling pieces of their
brainchild. The top shell of the vehicle is made of carbon fiber, while the
body of the car will be able to support several solar panels that will collect
energy from the sun, powering the engineers anywhere they desire.
Just one of many projects that VAIL
has introduced to the world, the student engineers have become more excited as
the car is closer to being completed, and for good reason. In the past, projects from VAIL have
participated in challenges from the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) and the Department of
Energy.
The question weighing on everyone’s
mind throughout their hard work remains “Will this work?” While it might not
work today, and it might not work tomorrow, the question isn’t IF a
solar-powered vehicle will be created one day, it’s WHEN.