Extra Knowledge Reveals How Two Profitable (If Gradual) Photo voltaic Cannonball Runs Went

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Final Up to date on: 14th March 2025, 02:20 am

A yr or so in the past, I wrote a number of articles about makes an attempt to cross america on nothing however solar energy, carried alongside on or within the automobile. Since then, the sluggish tempo and even slower launch of details about these journeys led to me shifting on to different issues and shedding monitor of them. On this article, I’ll replace readers on two profitable journeys, even when they took a LONG time.

Why This Issues

As we speak, having the ability to cross entire continents is one thing we take with no consideration, however 100–200 years in the past, this wasn’t the case. Earlier than the primary transcontinental railroad was accomplished at Promontory Summit, the quickest methods throughout the continent had been to both go by wagon or bypass it fully by taking a ship round South America. Both choices would take weeks at finest pace, however often months. Many individuals by no means made the journey, dying alongside the perimeters of wagon trails or drowning within the treacherous currents between South America and Antarctica.

Setting data might appear like a pointless, macho factor to do, however they result in progress. The U.S. navy’s first try to cross a continent was sluggish and terrible, taking weeks, nevertheless it led a younger navy officer named Dwight D. Eisenhower to finally push for the development of the Interstate Freeway System we will zip alongside on as we speak. Pushing photo voltaic expertise like this gained’t win anyone any pace awards and even a lot recognition as we speak, however setting benchmarks to beat can encourage additional progress.

The First Recognized Photo voltaic Cannonball

Just lately, the Energy of Mild YouTube channel, run by Joe Kliewer, put out the ultimate episode concerning the late 2023 journey throughout the nation, together with a map of charging stops and different particulars.

The journey is effectively documented, and has time lapses of the entire run, exhibiting that it was a reputable file. However no person was ever more likely to dispute this file as a result of it took virtually two months! The journey began on October 3, 2023, and lasted till November twenty ninth. Alongside the best way, he stopped at campgrounds at nationwide and state parks, good property house owners’ lands, and even barren desert BLM land in New Mexico to arrange dozens of 100-watt photo voltaic panels. Charging stops took days at a time, and generally even longer when wet climate would stick round too lengthy.

To say that this can be a journey that most individuals would by no means repeat could be an understatement. Needing to search out locations to cost took priority over principally every little thing, together with primary comforts. It will be good if each city had a motel with an enormous lot subsequent to it that allowed individuals to arrange a transportable photo voltaic array, however that simply doesn’t exist and possibly by no means will as a result of there’s simply no demand for it.

The Second Run Was Sooner, However Made Different Huge Compromises

In mid-2024, one other crew made the journey throughout America in just below two weeks. However the automobile wasn’t one thing most individuals would think about taking such a visit in. As an alternative of taking a Tesla automobile at speeds one would think about to be freeway speeds, this crew took one thing that straddles the road between e-bike and automotive. If something, it resembles the solar-powered automobiles that college students have raced for many years. Nevertheless, the Solar Strider was registered in Michigan as a bike, in order that’s shut sufficient for a file.

Touring at speeds of as much as 35 miles per hour, all the photo voltaic panels had been mounted to the automobile itself, and so they’d sustain with the motor in lots of circumstances. The automobile had a 2.9 kWh battery pack and two 3.2 horsepower motors that didn’t survive the journey with no need modified out. Excessive temperatures had been laborious on the electronics and the drivers, as there was no air-con.

The place Will It Go From Right here?

At current, it appears cheap to be pessimistic about the way forward for onboard solar energy for automobiles. Two weeks to cross the nation? On one thing that’s much less nice to journey than a bicycle? Or two months in a traditional automotive? Who desires to try this?

However we’ve got to do not forget that EVs, powered by the grid, had been as soon as on such dismal timetables. When the primary makes an attempt had been made to do that in 1968, it took over 210 hours, which might be over two weeks should you had been to drive 12 hours per day. The EVs of the time had been all conversions with outdated battery expertise, and there was no quick charging. It wasn’t till the 2010s that EV expertise improved and charging stations that would fill ‘er up in a half hour got here out and drastically improved EV freeway journey!

Photo voltaic expertise has additionally come a great distance in that point. The primary photo voltaic cells had been solely experimental, and produced little energy. Effectivity went from virtually zero to capturing virtually a 3rd of the accessible photo voltaic vitality. Trying ahead, 40% effectivity is already within the pipeline, with 50–60% not thought-about unimaginable. Researchers assume that as a lot as 90% of daylight may very well be transformed to electrical energy, however that’s not a certain guess at this level. Even doubling the effectivity of photo voltaic panels would double the pace of photo voltaic automobiles on such cross-continent journeys.

There’s additionally no rule that claims solar energy has to at all times dwell on the automotive. The Cannonball Solar problem (began by the second crew mentioned above) solely dictates that the automobile be powered solely by daylight, be registered, and observe the principles of the street. Photo voltaic EV charging infrastructure can actually be a part of the answer for EV charging infrastructure, and if sufficient solar-only stations are deployed, it may give photo voltaic Cannonballers an enormous increase in instances. This wouldn’t be straightforward for DC quick charging (an enormous photo voltaic farm could be wanted), nevertheless it’s inside the realm of the doable with battery storage.

None of that is going to occur in a single day, in fact, however neither did EV expertise or photo voltaic expertise. Having the Cannonball Solar as a benchmark for photo voltaic transportation can function a great tool for monitoring the development for such expertise sooner or later.

Featured picture: a screenshot from the primary photo voltaic Cannonball run.