Solar vehicles are still not as popular as they should be or could be and the basic drawback lies in the efficiency of the solar cells. It takes hell of a lot of area to convert solar energy in to substantial energy that can drive a car. Annual races and other events are just fine, but the commercial market seems to have nothing substantial to offer to the consumer in terms of solar cars. With Hybrid engines and even fuel cell technology developing at a rapid pace, it is hard to see how this will get better with time. But then someone claims that they can change it all and so let us examine it.
Dr. Al Alberts is the maker of the ‘Stinger’ (which reminds me of Sting) and he claims that his car can go up to 70-80 mph only on solar energy. According to him, With only the driver on board, the 400hp, 2300lb, Stinger can easily accelerate from 0-60mph in well under 5 seconds in 4WD Traction Mode, yet by shifting into Sport rear 2WD (250hp) and then Economy Mode rear 1WD (125hp) once your desired speed has been reached – you simply set the Cruise Control at 70mph and the same aerodynamically designed Stinger can maintain that highway speed with as little as 8hp on a flat gradient! Therefore, under optimal conditions, The Stinger Solar Electric Sports Coupe can travel great distances in bright sunlight without on-grid power supplies. All this is as in the words of the man who designed this car.
But if you examine the truth, then you would need a lot more energy to derive that type of blinding power to drive the vehicle. Also knowing that the world record for solar panel efficiency is well below 50%, I really doubt if this car will ever make it to road. In fact, the claim is so outrageous that you are almost certain that it will never become a reality. Enthusiasm is fine, but it must be curtailed. What such claims do is take away the attention and credibility from those who really come up with something that actually works and is useful. That is not good for a budding field like solar power.
