wraggster
October 17th, 2008, 20:01
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/zhejiang-001-solar-car.jpg
It may not attract the same sort of glances as a Tesla, or a Volt, for that matter, but this solar-powered car built by China's Zhejiang 001 Group is pretty impressive in its own right, both for its price (just $5,560), and it's efficiency. That latter bit is a result of some rather un-integrated solar panels, which absorb 95% of the solar energy they take in and convert it to electricity at between 14 and 17% efficiency, which is actually pretty impressive as far as solar panels go. According to the company, that should let you travel about 150 kilometers on a 30-hour charge, though you'll only be able to go five kilometers on a one-hour charge. No word on a release outside of China, as you might have guessed, but the company has apparently already produced ten of 'em for sale inside the country, with more presumably on the way.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/chinese-made-solar-powered-car-gets-150-kilometers-on-a-30-hour/
It may not attract the same sort of glances as a Tesla, or a Volt, for that matter, but this solar-powered car built by China's Zhejiang 001 Group is pretty impressive in its own right, both for its price (just $5,560), and it's efficiency. That latter bit is a result of some rather un-integrated solar panels, which absorb 95% of the solar energy they take in and convert it to electricity at between 14 and 17% efficiency, which is actually pretty impressive as far as solar panels go. According to the company, that should let you travel about 150 kilometers on a 30-hour charge, though you'll only be able to go five kilometers on a one-hour charge. No word on a release outside of China, as you might have guessed, but the company has apparently already produced ten of 'em for sale inside the country, with more presumably on the way.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/chinese-made-solar-powered-car-gets-150-kilometers-on-a-30-hour/