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New research shows high potential for solar-powered vehicles worldwide, providing between 11 km/day/kWp and 29 km/day/kWp of extended range in open areas, enabling significant levels of self-sufficiency.
Now, a group of researchers led by the Dom Luiz Institute, based in Lisbon, Portugal, has modeled the potential of solar-powered vehicles with 1 kWp of photovoltaics on their roofs for 100 cities around the world. Their findings showed that the average solar extended driving range is 18 km/day/kWp and 8 km/day/kWp for running and parked vehicles, respectively.
That is, they found that the extended solar driving range varies between 11 km/day/kWp and 29 km/day/kWp. According to the researchers, this is typically of the same order of magnitude as daily travel distances, allowing significant self-sufficiency for VIPV.
The researchers also found that the charging frequency ratio of solar-powered vehicles ranges from 0% to 80%, with an average of 57%.
“A higher (or lower) installed capacity would lead to a higher (or lower) extended range, but the effect on the charging frequency would not increase (or decrease) proportionally because it results from the difference between the extended range and the vehicle. kilometers traveled,” the researchers said.
According to their findings, the most favorable geographies for VIPV include Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, the researchers emphasize that solar-powered mobility has a relevant impact in reducing charging frequency and operating cost across the sample of geographies, including China, Europe, North America and Australia.
Finally, researchers have analyzed urban shadows and their impact on autonomy. They found that shade reduces driving range by 18% and 60% (average values), for running and parked vehicles, respectively.
“This greater shadow impact for vehicles parked during the day suggests that the most interesting potential short-term market for VIPV is for vehicles that circulate during the day, such as service vehicles, bus transportation and other modes of transportation.” public transportation such as car sharing. ride-sharing or taxi services,” the researchers write.
Furthermore, they underline that, whenever possible, solar-powered vehicles are expected to choose open parking spaces with favorable irradiance conditions, reducing the effect of significant shading considered in their model. |
