Plug-in Electric, Electric Hybrids is believed to be the future of automobiles by many. But, as is the case with every other new technology, electric cars or even hybrids for that matter aren’t exactly what you would term as practical. Plug-in electric cars need to be recharged via a socket while hybrids burn fossil fuels to charge their batteries. The range has also been an issue with electric cars. The limited range means they need to be charged every now and then whenever the charge runs out. Which means you have to be near a power source before the batteries discharge completely.
Ford Focus Electric
Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius are supposedly meant to save fuel but tests have shown that over a long period of time these cars cause as much damage to the environment as a normal gas guzzling SUV. So what’s the point of having these cars? Honda’s FCX Clarity could be the answer. The FCX Clarity runs on hydrogen and the only emissions coming out of the pipe is water. But, there different problems associated with this technology. Ford now seems to have solved the puzzle. The new Ford Focus Electric now has a roof mounted solar panel which charges the batteries which in-turn powers an electric motor.
2012 Ford Focus Electric dashboard
However, the Ford is not the first automaker to do this. Toyota was the first to use roof-mounted solar panels, the charge from which was used for the cars ancillaries. Also, the Fisker Karma is the first production cars to integrate solar panels in to the production process. Thus, the idea isn’t new or ground breaking. But, what Ford has achieved could set the trend for years to come. The panel is developed in collaboration with Sun Power and can generate 3000 kilowatt hours of power each year which amounts to 1600 kilometers a month of free range!
Now isn’t that astonishing? 1600 km amounts to around 53 km per day which is the sort of distance an average car runs each day. So, if you use your car occasionally, you will not even have spend a penny for it. If you live countries like the UK, Sweden, Finland etc. charging up the car could be an issue. But, in the rest of the countries which received ample sunlight throughout the year, this might pick-up over time. Solar energy is the most abundant, renewable energy source and the most un-tapped. The cost of production of the solar panels has had been high in the past which was one of the obstacles faced in the application of solar energy.
2012 Ford Focus Electric center console
Even solar powered cars are not new to us. The concept is quite old but if more and more manufacturers adopt this technology, it might become even cheaper. This is something manufacturers in India should take a note of and try to incorporate solar-tech in their future products. Especially in cost concious India, solar powered electric cars have a huge potential. I hope Ford takes a note of this before anyone else does and offer something on the lines of the Ford Focus electric in India. Of course in India, the market for electric cars is still in its infancy.
But, a practical and cheap to run automobile has a huge potential to attract buyers. There are other electric cars like the Reva and the Toyota Prius Hybrid out of which the Toyota is too expensive and the Reva is just not practical enough. Also, the Reva needs to be recharged every time the charge runs our while, hybrids haven’t yet managed to woo the Indian buyer. In fact, Honda even discontinued the Civic Hybrid due to very low customer response. All these cars still need the juice derived from dead dinosaurs to run.
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