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Why Solar Cars Make Sense In 2022
Even though we can’t buy them
With a small amount of rumors hinting toward a hybrid version of the Ford Bronco featuring roof top solar I thought now would be a good time to talk about why solar cars make a lot of sense right now. So let’s go over a few details.
Charging Infrastructure
A lot of time when people think about solar cars they’re exclusively thinking about their ability to drive endlessly without ever having to recharge or refuel their vehicles, while this certainly sounds ideal in many cases I think the practicality of solar goes beyond this. With the struggles of implementing sufficient charging solutions across the entire world in order to speed up EV adoption I believe rooftop solar could be a primary solution to that problem. By producing cars that need no additional infrastructure to charge their batteries outside of a little sunlight we could start to see EVs grow in convenience. I know personally, when I’m just commuting to work during the week I hardly go beyond 50 miles, so if the solar panels on our cars could produce an equivalent amount of energy I could see a real case to be made for solar EVs or even hybrids. Let’s not forget the part where even if you are deciding to road trip +300 miles, solar technology on cars would very likely be able to extend that a few miles at the very least, further reducing range anxiety!
Mobility
Millions of Americans live in either apartments or homes that they rent. This means that even if that had everything in place to acquire solar such as the desire and the proper funding, there is no convenient way that they could implement solar technology into their home. However, with a car that anyone could buy with the right funds it could be a lot easier to implement solar solutions across the world. The fact is, it’s a lot easier to go out and buy a car than it is to buy a house that either has a solar roof or would be conducive to installation of one. Not only that, but with the constant moving of people thanks to the “great resignation” it seems more important than ever for people to maintain their ability to move from place to place. With solar cars this means that their investment in solar energy will not be thrown away if people decide to move locations!
