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Ford reveals solar-powered car


Still Waters

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The Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept has a solar panel system on the roof which tracks the position of the sun. The company said it can draw power equal to a four-hour battery charge.

Fully charged the car could travel for up to 21 miles powered just on electricity.

The concept car will be on display at CES in Las Vegas before testing begins to see if production is feasible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-25575306

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I'm going to predict that these won't be big sellers in Washington or Alaska. LOL.

Honestly, several years ago I owned a home with a 22K gallon swimming pool and called a contractor to give me a bid to heat my pool with solar panels. We talked for like an hour, figured out the costs and design of the panels etc... which was going to be significantly more than a plain old gas heater... I was willing to pay more up front knowing I wouldn't be paying any energy bills afterward. When I had everything all selected, the dude whipped out a catalog with gas heaters and told me to select one... Yes, I was confused. His comment was "What? You thought solar panels in Seattle could heat a pool? You're cute" Those panels just couldn't collect enough sun to do the job with the lack of direct sunlight here in this state... and we were talking about covering my entire garage roof with them.

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I wish I could use anything solar-powered. Living on the side of a mountain surrounded by trees even garden path lights don't get enough sun. On the up side, it stays a lot cooler in the summer.

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It will be great when the technologies progress to the point where a little solar car has a much longer range... or , better yet, can run on the available light of an average day.

Or if batteries can't get that efficient ...maybe we could have another easily switched out battery charging at home on a solar charger .. while using the one in the car.

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There also needs to be some thought given to the mass of the vehicle. Most of us, particularly in NA, drive vehicles based on fear rather than for realistic transportation needs. Smaller and lighter vehicles would extend battery life given limitations of solar conversions. The Volkswagen Twin Up diesel hybrid, for example, yields over 200 mpg with a zero-emissions electric range of 31 miles.

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There also needs to be some thought given to the mass of the vehicle. Most of us, particularly in NA, drive vehicles based on fear rather than for realistic transportation needs. Smaller and lighter vehicles would extend battery life given limitations of solar conversions. The Volkswagen Twin Up diesel hybrid, for example, yields over 200 mpg with a zero-emissions electric range of 31 miles.

Yup, vehicles could be much much lighter. ( i always thought it was crazy to operate a multiTON vehicle to transport my 140 pds. ( 270pds. with the wife) ..but that brings up safety concerns ? ... a very light vehicle might get dangerously blown around by trucks?

Speed limits might have to be reevaluated too ? .. to accommodate smaller, lighter vehicles?

i think Speed limits are too high as it is... too dangerous/deadly.. and high speeds waste a lot of gas.

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I'm going to predict that these won't be big sellers in Washington or Alaska. LOL.

Honestly, several years ago I owned a home with a 22K gallon swimming pool and called a contractor to give me a bid to heat my pool with solar panels. We talked for like an hour, figured out the costs and design of the panels etc... which was going to be significantly more than a plain old gas heater... I was willing to pay more up front knowing I wouldn't be paying any energy bills afterward. When I had everything all selected, the dude whipped out a catalog with gas heaters and told me to select one... Yes, I was confused. His comment was "What? You thought solar panels in Seattle could heat a pool? You're cute" Those panels just couldn't collect enough sun to do the job with the lack of direct sunlight here in this state... and we were talking about covering my entire garage roof with them.

I couldn't help but LoL on that one. So he figured you wanted to cover your garage with solar panels for fun?

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  • 2 months later...

The Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept has a solar panel system on the roof which tracks the position of the sun. The company said it can draw power equal to a four-hour battery charge.

Fully charged the car could travel for up to 21 miles powered just on electricity.

The concept car will be on display at CES in Las Vegas before testing begins to see if production is feasible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-25575306

Really good news for car lovers worried about fuel crisis.. Solar power seems to be solution so big companies must start investing.

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Yup, vehicles could be much much lighter. ( i always thought it was crazy to operate a multiTON vehicle to transport my 140 pds. ( 270pds. with the wife) ..but that brings up safety concerns ? ... a very light vehicle might get dangerously blown around by trucks?

Speed limits might have to be reevaluated too ? .. to accommodate smaller, lighter vehicles?

i think Speed limits are too high as it is... too dangerous/deadly.. and high speeds waste a lot of gas.

This is because of you, the consumer. You demand creature comforts such as GPS systems, electric this, electric that, seats that heat, cool and vibrate as well as safety mechanisms like airbags. Not to mention sound-deadening that reduces road noise.

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A lot of alternative fuels have been around for a long time but certain forces hinder it's use due to the one motive...Money

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The Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept has a solar panel system on the roof which tracks the position of the sun. The company said it can draw power equal to a four-hour battery charge.

Fully charged the car could travel for up to 21 miles powered just on electricity.

The concept car will be on display at CES in Las Vegas before testing begins to see if production is feasible.

Really good news for car lovers worried about fuel crisis.. Solar power seems to be solution so big companies must start investing.

I hope these cars are available in the market?

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