Solar Gold Mine Digest » Solar Electrical Vehicles

Solar Powered Golf Carts

SolarPromoter — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:51:08 +0000

Having spent a decent amount of time writing articles for Solar Gold Mine Digest and slicing my drive way off the green, I wanted to share a cool gadget/vehicle I just stumbled upon at CNET.News; The Solar Powered Golf Cart. Apparently a Florida-based company has created a street legal golf cart that runs on solar energy and is capable of speeds up to 65 mph. The cart runs for about $7,000 (of which $1,500 is due to the solar panel). I suppose if you are looking for simple sports gifts, you may want to pass this one by.

As of the moment the golf cart can be found in a few retirement communities as well as some clubs in Arizona and South Florida. Personally, I wouldn’t mind having one to cruise around town down here in Texas. I mean, it wouldn’t be wise to take this cart on the highway, but at 35 mph. I think it might be fun to cruise down to the post office or maybe the local park and work on that horrid drive of mine.

Source: CNET.News

Solar Powered Cars

SolarPromoter — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:11:24 +0000

Over the last few years, the very definition of solar powered cars has changed dramatically. Sure, when we think of traditional solar powered “anything”, we imagine solar panels or photovoltaics etc., but as I mentioned earlier those perceptions are changing as is technology. The newest wave of solar powered vehicles are utilizing solar/electric power in order to function. Basically, homeowners are installing solar panels at home (usually above their garage or carport and using that technology to store electricity with which to charge their car in the morning.

We all know that this technology isn’t new, but now more than ever more manufacturers are looking into implementing this new plug-in technology. Think about it, automakers are now able to shift focus away from all inclusive technology and focus more on supplemental applications. I mean, consider the cost of a new vehicle including some sort of solar array to power the vehicle. Granted, solar panels on your home will cost some cash, but for the automakers and homeowners it is really a win-win situation.

With the current financial crisis taking its toll on many businesses, especially the automakers, it is cool to see that they are trying to find innovative ways to move their companies forward. My understanding is that the big three Detroit automakers are utilizing this technology in many new models, but I wouldn’t expect to see solar Ferrari parts anytime in the near future. Then again, if you could afford a Ferrari I suppose you wouldn’t be too concerned about the cost associated with solar anything. Regardless, there are a lot of cool new innovative vehicles moving out of the concept phase and into production. These are exciting new times for those of us interested in solar energy and applications.

Source: AboutMyPlanet.com

Solar Electrical Vehicles

SolarPromoter — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:30:29 +0000

There have been a lot of great innovations over the last few years regarding solar electric vehicles and the 04-08 Prius model has been one of the most popular. Having spent a bit of time traveling around the country, I have to admit these vehicles are out there en masse. I really enjoy the new solar electric concept vehicles, but I have to question their designers. I mean, if the vehicle looks normal people will want to drive it. If the vehicle looks like something George Jetson would cruise around in, people go back to that old line, “Everyone is going to laugh at me!”

Either way, I am excited to see these new vehicles due to the simple fact that we wont have to wait around for infrastructure changes and fueling station updates that we will with other fossil fuel alternatives. In fact, you can see that these companies implementing this new “green” technology have been increasing their value in online trading reports. I wouldn’t expect to see these new vehicles in every driveway anytime soon, but who knows what the future might hold.