With climate change and global warming on the rise, green cars are all the rage, prompting many car manufacturers to invest millions of dollars into developing truly effective cars with the smallest carbon footprint.
Ford is the latest car manufacturer to enter the fray, with its concept car, the C-Max Solar Energi. This car's primary feature is that it uses solar power to directly charge the plug-in hybrid's battery pack. The car does not charge on the go, and still needs to be parked when charging. However, the car's roof is covered by solar panels, called SunPower panels, and to be charged, the car is parked below a special social concentrator canopy with Fresnel circular lenses. These lenses move with the sun to focus solar rays on the roof of the car.
The primary advantage of this feature is that the vehicle's electric battery will then be able to replenish itself even without an electric charger. But since it is a slow process, Ford has come up with the special charging canopy.
The car still has a charge port, allowing it to be charged through an outlet that gets energy from solar panels, such as in a solar-powered home. However, the Solar Energi's system boosts normal sunlight by a factor of eight. This means the roof-mounted charging system gathers enough light during charging to run 21 miles of EPA-rated electric range.
Making use of the sun's energy is a rather complicated matter. One must ensure that the solar concentrator focuses all possible solar rays onto the panel as the sun moves across the sky. This alone is rife with possible glitches, since it requires that the car be programmed to move autonomously beneath the solar collector canopy. At the same time, magnifying solar energy by eight and focusing that force on a car may present certain risks.
However, the idea is certainly worth exploring. Mike Tinskey, global director of vehicle electrification and infrastructure for Ford, says, "As far as I can tell, it's the first solar-powered, plug-in hybrid."
To develop this car, Ford has partnered with SunPower and the Georgia Insitute of Technology, which is also a partner in the Ford MyEnergi Lifestyle initiative. The C-Max Solar Energi concept car will be displayed at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, starting on Jan 7.
