Comments are TH-cams bread and butter. Any engagement is good. Even this in bad taste criticism of the engaged audience that surely will have some albeit minimal effect on people making suggestions which is harmless.
@@DrewBuildsStuff You kno how they make lights for bicycles that can be powered by a little wheel that set on the bike wheel basically making it motion powered. Can you attach something like that to all four wheels to make a difference? & would it work at all in any way to make & or keep power?
You could drop a heck of a lot of weight by building the trailer out of aluminium, only the vehicle itself needs to be somewhat structurally safe, other than cost it doesn’t really matter if the trailer is hit and destroyed. On the subject of the panels it would be good to make some aero out of thin plastic to direct airflow under them for cooling, you’ll get significantly better efficiency the cooler they are.
@@DrewBuildsStuff Ebay has Tig welders that are pretty decent for around $400...then you could weld aluminum. There are also Brazing Rods, 3M Urethane Epoxy, or just bolt the aluminum together.
Has anyone told you about the World Solar Challenge held biennially in Australia for the last 20+ years? You have to drive a solar car from Darwin to Adelaide (~3000 km).
@@Tyler_18_ 3022km in 5 days against 34 competitors with a car you built from scratch Is a true adventure. There's a TH-cam oringal series on this called light speed by seeker i recommend it !
I was going to recommend this challenge as well as a source of inspiration. There must be papers available with techniques they use to improve performance and reduce drag to extend the range.
As an electric skateboarder I try to get as much range as possible. With nobby off-road tyres, I get 42 kilometres. With Road tyres I get 63 kilometre distance, They are called off-road tyres for a reason. I’m in Melbourne Australia and I can hear your rumbling tyres from here ; )
IMMENSE Real world practical applications. Especially if we can figure out a way to turn the trailer into a truck bed combo. You have no idea how genius this is.
As a solar design engineer, I love the effort you put into this, but I believe you can fundamentally change some items for far greater success: 1. manufactured solar panels are not just heavier. They have greater power density. You can get a 420W panel that weighs about 50-70lbs. The use of aluminum railing and glass also increases heat transfer. Solar panels heat up and their efficiency drops considerably. Using the wood backing and the flexible panels, their efficiency due to heat is lower. The manufactured panels will stay cool especially on a moving vehicle. 2. The steel frame is heavy. Consider using solar railing for the frame. Something like the Ironridge XR100 has great rigidity for the weight and has built in attachment points. You can use end clamps and mid clamps to secure the panels to the rail for easy removal. You'd shave a lot of weight and reduce the footprint of the vehicle. 3. I didn't see the initial video, so I don't fully understand your electrical setup, but you may benefit from a different power supply configuration. The excess solar production needs to go somewhere. Use a configuration where the power supply can be powered by the panels, and excess solar charges the battery. As solar power goes down, the battery takes over.
I was JUST thinking about #3. That excess power is wasted otherwise, and you lose extra time. I believe powerwalls and solar powering houses have the ability to do just this.
@@karanoelle4819 There is no excess power, all the power in a setup like this goes to power the vehicle and the rest charges the battery. And if you have excess power due to the battery being full you are out of luck, either get more batteries, larger / more motors that use all the energy and give you more speed or except the loss.
I admire your efforts! Applaud the the time and money you exerted into the vehicle/ trailer and video. Forgive me if you did mention in video, but what was your average speed and top speed and rough weight of vehicle +/- trailer?
Hey Drew, if you ever decide to revisit this project, consider: Switching over to rigid panels. The flexible panel produce 1/2 of the rigid panels power at peak. You can possibly integrated the panel as structural parts as well. Many of them designed to handle snow loads. Use higher voltage but in parallel. Many panels have poor performance in shaded conditions, and can affect the performance of the whole string.
And make the trailer and frame lighter (aluminum), and use lower rolling resistance tires, and find all the other ways to improve your efficiency rather than just upping your capacity. If you continue to use flexible panels, mount them to rigid styro insulation rather than cedar. Solar panels and battery tech improve monumentally each year, but it's important to nail down the fundamentals. Think "Aptera" rather than "Hummer EV".
There's alot of factors involved. yes ridgid can produce more, but they are also significantly heavier. You also need more structure in your base to suport said extra weight adding even more mass for your motor to haul around requiring more power. So its not as simple as just saying use ridgid pannels and cut the number needed in half.
Use narrower tires, reduce roll resistance. You could mount solar panels overhead, use it as sunshades and weather protection and get rid of the trailer. that is also reducing roll resistance.
@@robloggia I built a battery-less solar bike 10 years ago.. very similar structure, except I made a 4ft tail off the back. V4 - was going to try and elongate the front 4 ft aswell..
@@robloggia Aerodynamic drag could be significantly improved very cheaply. Just take the solar panels off, and wrap the space frame chassis with industrial pallet wrapping. Then re-attach the panels.
As a cyclist I know if you put slick tires on those wheels you will get better efficiency and a smoother/quieter ride. I wouldn't put narrower tires on though, some fat tire slicks would be perfect. Would be cool to be able to tilt the trailer panels, like in the sun setting end if you could stand those panels up a bit then you could have gotten home. Maybe triangle shaped frame in front and rear with panels sitting on a center pipe that can lock flat or tilt and lock one way or the other.
That's what I was just going to write. Some 100psi bmx tires would do alot of Justice. And slanting a panel up would create a great spoilers to keep it down at speed
@@KC9UDX If you look at where road bike tires have gone over the last couple decades, they're getting fatter. They found that fatter tires run at a lower pressure have lower rolling resistance (and are more comfortable) than skinny tires at the necessary higher pressure. All the vibration you feel with really skinny tires is wasted energy. Yes there are aerodynamic considerations but not really a factor on this pretty draggy vehicle.
Dude, I've been welding almost 20 years now. I'm not just saying this, 90% of your welds are GOOD WELDS. Honestly. You're too hard on yourself about that stuff. 95% of those welds would pass inspection and are structurally sound. I hope this helps reassure you to just weld it up and ignore the Karen's. Most of the people who would bash welds like those almost assuredly just like insulting people because they're unhappy with their own lives. And I would bet a large percentage of that group is not even qualified to comment on welds in the first place. You did awesome man. Loved the welds, loved the build, loved the video. Keep up the awesome work brotha! :)
Not a welder, so won't comment on weld quality, though welding in a t-shirt does look like a sure way for x-ray skin burns or worse - depending on exposure dose.
Yes agree. The first couple looked a bit untidy but the later welds were great. Not an easy skill so good effort. As was mentioned the difference between a bad weld and a good weld is a minute with a grinder.
It’s worth pausing to appreciate that 10-20 years ago this would be a multi-million dollar project by a team of phds. Now it’s a (very impressive!) but still fairly achievable build for a TH-cam video with off the shelf parts and without any crazy aero bubbles etc The *next* 10-20 years of progress will be fun to observe. Great build and awesome video!
For a car, aerodynamics is basically everything for fuel efficiency. If you build a mk2 version I'd be looking at some sort of thin fiberglass body, the air efficiency will outweigh the actual weight of the body in the long run. Also skinnier tires would help with efficiency, along with solid wheel caps to cover the spokes. The air drag those spoked wheels make is unbelievable honestly.
I have a local friend who built a similar setup .. pulling a trailer .. the main vehicle is made to look like a miniature Model T pickup .. John Deer green & yellow. He picks up extra energy by using a braking mechanism that engages an alternator and the resistance creates a braking effect while also helping to charge the batteries. Really cool. I wish YT would allow photos for comments like this.
Regenerative braking. My CRV hybrid has that. As soon as you release the gas, regenerative braking kicks in. Kinda annoying. I wish it would NOT kick in unless you engage the paddle shifter.
@@Vagabond_Etranger .. yes .. my friend said that he only uses it when going downhill as a brake since the drag slows him down .. unless the battery is fully charged .. then he has to rely on the brakes.
You don't know what you're talking about. All EVs have regenerative braking. It's not "a braking mechanism that engages an alternator." You're really dumb for thinking that.
I liked many of the suggestions I’ve read already: lighter frame, a way to cool the panels, light material to make the whole rig more aerodynamic, less roll-resistant tires, maybe a way for you to add pedal power when you’re not too tired and especially going up any hills, some kind of sail to help capture the wind, a way to generate power when going down hill. Fun watching and brainstorming.
@@SmOgER10 With the weight of the panels, and the aluminuin itself, its enough weight to be stable.. Wouldnt hurt to copy a front design , like the cyber semi..
@@rrnabors1 The Amish wouldn't want a solar powered car...Ever. Their horses are far more reliable. Horses also work on cloudy days, or at night. What an incredible achievement. Hopefully, one day, we'll go beyond what the Amish have and find a mode of transportation that doesn't require horses at all! Who knows? We may not even need the sun to be shining. We'll get there soon. I can feel it in my bones.
The Amish are using a solar powered carriage. The horse eats hay, which grows from photosynthesis, which is sunlight powered. They are Way ahead of you Lou
This build has real potential. You already got the goal of theoretical infinity range in good weather conditions. Now imagine making it as light weight as safely possible, make it more aerodynamic, proper cooling for the panels, street wheels with minimum profile. Finding a good solar panel to battery ratio. Like there could be sooooo much more possible with this base! This is extremely intresting!
Awesome dude. I put an e-bike build together that comes home every day after work and plugs into an outlet on my 400W solar shed which has accumulated enough charge throughout the day to get me to work and back the next day.
@@tyrelirwin I'm just looking at the overall longevity. The bearings as well as the tires are only good for 1000ish miles, where motorcycle tires are into the 10s of thousands. Brand dependant.
@@sgas I had cross tyres for my mountain bike for 70/30 , smoother grip center tyre for less rolling resistance and a knobbl youter for grip on dirt tracks or softer ground must be a tyre out there that would have less rolling resistance it is a four wheeler.
I like the idea. And its cool that you actually built it but three minutes in and there is a ton of ways for you to improve this. I hope you keep going.
@@filonin2 looks like they're mostly paved? the gravel sections are hard packed too. Would have zero hesitation riding those with slick bicycle tyres on a bicycle. I imagine a 4 wheeled vehicle means even more grip?
I think it has massive real world practical purpose man! Most car rides people take are relatively short errands which they could 100% be using alternative sustainable modes of travel, even as a grocery getter for most people it’s insanely practical and useful, amazing work man.
Aerodynamics will help a lot for sure. For a few pounds you could put a shell on this that might save you 20% on air resistance alone. Someone else said knobby tires and that tracks, too. Noise = loss! But this is super awesome. Thanks for building and sharing!
If he gets to a cd of 0.2, he would save like 50N tops on drag because he can only go 40km/h, that spread over 300km saves 15MJ of power right? Wich would save 4.1kWh, wich is a damn lot haha, but the problem is getting to that 0.2 without adding weight enough to blunder too much that 50N drag.
Aerodynamics were my concern as well. Since he's using flexible panels he may even be able to move them all to one chassis and form a cockpit. Then just box in the floor with hard foam or something light and easy to shape.
So glad to see this project continuing! Next step is to make an aerodynamic chassis and reduce the rolling resistance. You can get away with fewer watts with three wheels, better tires and some aero faring while still reaching 45 km/h
For some tips he should search for "Outback solar race" on youtube. There has been an 1800mile (2900km) EV desert crossing race in Australia since the 1980's. The vehicles are extremely refined, covered in solar panels that are moulded to the aerodynamic shape of the body design. 3 wheels, very thin wheels. Enclosed cockpits. They can average speeds of 70mph from sunrise to sunset running only on solar.
@Mike-oz4cv That doesn't sound like much of an issue, really. Registration and insurance of a three-wheeled motorcycle is usually pretty cheap. A lot of places in the US don't even require motorcycle licenses for an enclosed autocycle either.
A 450 watt solar panel weighs just under 52 lbs. The efficiency of the rigid panel is much higher as is the longevity; so the weight savings are not nearly as important as it seems. An aluminum trailer and bike would have almost completely offset the additional weight IMO. Having said that, your builds are brilliant and I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos 😊.
The panels have structural integrity themselves as most are designed to be mounted on the sides only in the middle, and sustain 80mph winds. So he could have saved additional weight by using a lighter gauge steel and letting the panel frames provide additional integrity. Biracial panels are also an option
ok but he would need to redesign the whole thing more power, more weight, needs bigger brakes, probably can go faster so better aero. At his scale and price what he did is excellent
Well this was created for entertainment value and I was thoroughly entertained...again. Sometimes youtube actually comes up with videos I want to watch. I'm impressed with the level of quality and sophistication given the incredibly low cost. I would no doubt overbuild and spend too much if I tried something like this. Absolutely fabulous.
Amazing. As a kid I built an infinite range solar car, out of LEGO. It was about 1ft long. No battery, really struggled in the shade, but the concept was there.
I think it is a matter of scale. Small motors don't use nearly the amount of watts and have good power to weight efficiency. Plus, the model you made didn't have the extra weight of a human inside it. 3 large panels could probably spin his motors but they wouldn't have a lot of power.
@@OneOfDisease Higher voltage motors could also improve his efficiency a ton. Electric unicycles have some mean motors reaching 150+ volts, with peak power of 8kW each.
I remember when you built the car and thought so much more can be achieved. You came back and did more it's people like you who dare to do this stuff that helps inspire others to do more. Thanks for your drive and sharing what you've done.
Hey man, when fitting up your frame always put plenty of hefty tacks on all corners or sides of each joint, as you tack you can tweak/double check square and level, it also helps keep it from warping as you weld it up. Also for each joint weld opposite sides at a time to further decrease warping.
Hi. The rigid solar panels weigh a lot more, because they are a little larger, and they produce MUCH more power. Rigid panels can produce 450w per panel, 230w/m2. Flexible panels produce about 175w per panel, 165w/m2. 4 rigid panels will give you more power than 9 flexible panels - you might not not even need a trailer - saving much more weight.
@@teardowndan5364 It's quite common to use rigid panels on motorhomes and campervans - at over 100kmh/60mph. The simple solution for vibration is rubber. Just like any suspension bush or engine mount.
@@c6q3a24 No vibrations when you mount them ridigly with hard mounts in every corner and in the middle on a 1m x 1,6m like on my van that go 100km/h usually on long trips (uses less fuel at that speed then when going slower, most likely because when going slower you drive in 5th gear but at that higher speed you can use 6th gear). I would think that rubber mounts actually increases that chance of the panels vibrating?
If you dropped the weight of the frame down, you could possibly exchange that weight for an additional battery. I love this project. The shot of the horse and buggy is priceless. Your builds are always fun, but the effort you put into the presentation is so very appreciated!!!❤
As I see it, the greatest difference is that horses can 'build' more little copies of themselves. Here's an idea or two to ruminate on... 1) A 'fresnel' layer, composed of many for each panel, or, 2) a layer of hemispherical bubbles in an overlay to focus light from a less than overhead sun onto the layer below, or 3) A tubular photocell as an on/off switch to a tilting mechanism for more direct interaction, as it cannot be noon all the time. Just an old fart noodling around with a subject I'm just coming to grips with.
@@whophd No, that's a false assumption. It takes very refinded processes to build solar cells. If shtf, the technology to build solar cells won't survive and cannot be rebuilt in an aftermath MadMax scenario. You can refine crude oil with primitive technology like in Mad Max and fire up surviving internal combustion engines, but you cannot produce silicium wafers. So - horse and buggy are the safer bet.
I'm going to play with this on Sketchup. Thanks to your hard work and thought, I think that someone with modest design skill could greatly improve this, making it lighter and more compact, while increasing output. Thanks for all the effort.
It's crazy that most of us had this idea crossed our mind at least once, yet hardly anyone tried it. There's a lot of room of improvement here. Please add donation under the video or something so we can contribute for next project on this idea. We want to see most efficient build of this. Prove the world wrong.
Theres actually an annual competition to make an entirely solar powered car. Its just impossible at least with today’s technology to make a practical, commercially viable car that is entirely solar powered
@@SamuelMM_Mitosis I don't think it is impossible, but it would take a lot of cooperation with industry people who can make more money by building vehicles that aren't solar cars. Its like how you can make more money making videos that sell videogames than making videos that teach calculus, but it doesn't cost $100,000,000 to make calculus videos, so a few people do it anyway.
THANK YOU for making this video. It hit home with me. Years ago I took a toy Ford Bronco which ran on two AA batteries. I removed the batteries and built a trailer eerily similar to yours and mounted twelve 2 watt Radio Shack solar cells on it. I wired it in series - parallel and connected the wires to the positive and negative battery terminals. (I did not replace the batteries. The power is supplied solely from the cells). When in the sunlight the Bronco would barrel down the sidewalk. With no remote controls the only way to stop it was to run and catch it and take it out of the sun. (It would actually move slowly in the shade). What fun this was. I built two of them, the other being a different vehicle, not a Bronco. Loved this video so much I subscribed
My favorite thing about Drew’s filmmaking style is that every single shot always has at least a touch of motion to it. Makes the whole project breathe - smart stuff
For a prototype, this is badass! Real nice simple design and looks like fun to make. As some others here suggest, changing the material of the frame would help. As a retired engineer, I am geeking out, lol.
Grat job!, 10 years ago nobody would've believed that you can create a self sufficient vehicle with solar, even like this. you proved all of them wrong!
In the mid 90’s a guy named Dick Smith made and drove a solar powered car that he and his team drove from Perth to Sydney and established the record for that 3000 km drive in a solar vehicle. The concept has been around for a while.
@@kimhenry5658 why did someone gave him the name "DICK" lol
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@@MichaelFalcon-g3f no problem. the problem is that these vehicles are easy to make and nobody seems to use them because the average person doesn't have access to a workshop, money and the skills needed to build one. companies make these, but they're expensive and niche. you basically only see youtubers and quirky rich people with these things... that goes for many of these ideas. shame, really. don't worry about looking stupid, there are too many wonders in this world.
surprised nobody has done it yet but the ideal panel is actually a vertical cylinder of panels facing inwards to collect light. an upside down thermometer shaped glass would b placed in the center with the bulb up top grabbing light from 360 degrees and sending it down the shaft emitting light in all directions to the cylinder panels below.
When I saw the buggy I thought of a possible business idea. Some Amish churches accept solar panels and wind turbines as a way of having energy. So something like this that could transport then like 200 miles in a day (something a horse can't do) could be a good way of transport for them.
@@Juangontiz It's a pretty uncommon view in among the Amish. They mainly believe technology is a result of man's gluteny and therefore is sinful. I've really only seen the Amish use technology when it helps their personal businesses. Like for using digital purchasing as there's a large portion of people who refuse to use cash today, they need digital purchasing to keep business.
Amish by us use everything battery powered. They also sell all brands of battery powered hand tools . I saw one kid flying a drone a couple days ago. Go Amish -Trump2024
Why take offense of the people giving suggestions? Take it as a compliment to the content creator, guys, he got people excited about the idea and trying to help improve it, as he requested. I see no sense in dismissing people calling them armchair engineers and such when many are likely to be actual experts in the technology and skill set involved.
Some people are more butthurt about "backseat-drivers" than others. I suffer from a similar sensitivity. I admit, it is a setback, as it makes it harder for me to sincerely consider what might be very valid suggestions. It takes time to tame that knee-jerk reaction to critique, but it's an ongoing process.
@@larjasoul I think it's easy to understand it from the first person, it's not easy to take criticism even when it's gentle and constructive, it takes maturity. But I find it so much stranger to take offense as a third person over the possibly offended feelings of the one receiving the critique who actually asked for in the video xD
@@Leongon DONT YOU DARE TELL ME HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT. jklol. yeah it is a very weird mindset to take offense on OP's behalf. terminally online behavior.
As a fellow graduate of the School of Hard Knocks with a degree at TH-cam University, my logic tells me that constructing your trailer frame from a lightweight aluminum chassis would cut the weight way down and take less energy to pull. I gotta say I am thoroughly impressed with your design. The wiring and PV equipment was very clean. I appreciate the video!
Very cool! Of course, if I tried driving something like that around where I live, I'd get run over by a giant pickup truck going 80 mph or something. And if I managed to avoid that, then the police would give me a ticket for driving something that isn't properly registered and inspected.
Yep, something with four wheels like this could draw attention from local law enforcement for those reasons. You might be able to get around that by using 3 wheels instead, either delta or tadpole design.
Hi there! Nice project! I really liked it. One way to improve it a bit is to raise the rear panels to a sunny side. For example, if you are driving east and the sun is to the right - the panels should be lifted from the left and angled towards the sun. This should improve the efficiency of the solar panels a little. The idea here is to get the panel surface as close to 90 degrees to the sun as possible. I think I have described the idea correctly. Thank you very much!
Yeah I thought the exact same thing for long journeys in one direction. It makes a noticeable difference to efficiency having them angled towards the sun.. It looked like maybe he was doing a big loop of local roads, in which case you would need to change the height more frequently. I thought having the panel mounting struts on actuators that could raise and lower each panel corner separately. That way you could angle them back if the sun was behind you, forward if it's in front, or either side, while you're driving.
@@olscro the only thing turning 30 taught me is that I'm just closer to turning 40 than I am to feeling like an adult. Ask any millennial, they'll probably tell you the same thing.
the original car is the most practical, especially if you add a nice big cargo area. imagine having that little cart for a country town, trips to the grocery store, cruising around for free for 20 years until the batteries need replacing. i’m going to build it, you’ve inspired me :) all aluminium.
An idea for the trailer: Raising the solar panels, extend over/on top of the wheels, and rotate 90°. place the panels more like this: /⁻⁻\. Put the 3 panels front to back in series instead of left to right. You would need 3 more panels and have 1 more set in series. When the sun is high, all 3 series on the trailer generate power. Is the sun lower, then depending on the angle, 1 side and the top have sun. Is the sun about to set, then 1 side still generates some power. Raising the panels also creates space for storage, foldable chair, tent, batteries or other stuff so you can go camping for example. And if you don't want to buy more panels you could shorten the trailer and have the trailer move less like a seesaw on bumps and holes in the road.
All power is solar power. Wind, Water, even wood from photosynthesis. Edit: The only exception would be nuclear. But one could say all power is nuclear.
Excellent test. The reason we don't see solar panels on cars is because it makes more sense to put them somewhere stationary, charge a battery then come and charge the car there, because the car will often be in a non-ideal location for solar panels whereas stationary ones can always be at the ideal angle/location. The reason we can't have 'infinite range' on are normal vehicles is an area problem as you found out.
Actually, on a vehicle using enough power, like a Tesla, the solar just isn't enough to matter much. That's why the tesla doesn't use solar, while Aptera has them because it uses little enough power to make a difference.
@@adastraedu Electric cars have a problem similar to the famous 'tyranny of the rocket equation'. Essentially, as you add more batteries to add more range, you are also adding more weight which requires more power. So a solar powered car that could drive at night would need more batteries and to fill those batteries would need more panels and to pull all that extra weight would need even more batteries and panels and it quickly gets ridiculous. Nevertheless solar cells on the surface of any electric car would make an appreciable difference to daytime range, but even in the case of the Aptera, the extra cost means that it still makes more sense to have stationary panels and to to recharge when necessary. For the Aptera it is a sales gimmick not a good sense option.
@@TimothyWhiteheadzm you clearly haven't looked into Aptera enough. The average Californian would never need to plug in their Aptera. The projected efficiency is around 100wh/mile. 400w of solar panels. 10 hours of sun nets 40 miles a day. More than the average person needs. Quite a bit more than "just a sales gimmick"...
@@tyrelirwinProjected efficiency, not proven real world average efficiency. And, 40mi a day wouldn’t get a lot of people to work and back let alone trying to run some errands or take a trip somewhere. As interesting and neat as they are it just isn’t a valid solution for many people. A plug in hybrid makes so much more sense and would benefit far more people.
I think it has 100% usefullness, especially for here in Australia. The Wright brothers didn't fly around the world with their first plane. ☺ Carbon fibre body, solarplex canopy to reduce wind resistance. 🥰🥰 Well done and a step in the right direction.
@@zilfondel there's been many of these vehicles and ideas but they never reach the average person. every other year some new cool invention comes out and nobody gets to use it because it's some hyper-expensive niche product. same goes for all these robots, we likely won't see them in our day-to-day lives in the next decades, let alone have access to them, you can write off owning one.
Dude, the vehicle is amazing. You have demonstrated so many skills just with this one build: electrical/mechanical/materials engineering, solar tech, bike tech, painter, etc. It's very, very impressive. I really enjoyed the Amish wagon juxtaposition. The stunt double is hilarious. I think the design is fantastic, as are the finishing aesthetics. Thank you for following through on your scientific experiment. It was a huge success!
Drew, in case it hasnt been mentioned below, change your tires from nobby to smooth pavement tires and run them about 10% over their max. Take a fishing scale and attach it to the rigg and pull on it to see what the rolling resistance is of the whole vehicle.
Give the trailer bed the ability to tilt left to right, possibly in a motorized fashion, controllable from the driver seat . You could further maximize available light as you change direction in relation to the sun. Love the project !! Keep Going !!
My thinking exactly. you can actually do left/right and up/down with a total of 2 linear actuators and a ball joint. Hook that up to a cluster of light sensors and a processor that automatically adusts the angle based on that data and you could be looking at easily a 30% increase in efficiency in morning and afternoon.
I love your intent, and so admire using your resources to pursue this cool project. I think you might be missing an opportunity with the solar panels, however. Maxeon 7 has a 445W panel, as an example. Your nine panels totaled 1575W and even without the trailer weigh almost 90 kg including the wood frames. Only four of the Maxeons would be 1780W for a 13% increase in charge capacity, weigh less than 84 kg, and if you made a "roof" on your car with one of the panels it would not only shield you from the heat, you wouldn't even need the entire trailer system. So MUCH less weight, and less drag, which means much more power efficiency. Just a thought!
I would love to see this same concept applied to an ultra light. Imagine covering the wings in these flexible solar cells and a small electric motor. Unlimited flight range is a dream.
@@lnteI their is some validity here, but you'd need an extremely light (and emtpy) bus inorder for the energy to exceed the weight it has to propell if that makes sense
It's kind of how everyone has the "freezerwave" idea when they're 5 to compliment the microwave. Then as adults realize it's a pretty common idea (not to rain on your parade lol)
These shots have literally the vibe of post-apocalyptic tv series where main hero travels on his solar mobile and collects abandoned things on the road, then takes rest at night.
When he passes the horse drawn carriage, it looks like it was done intentionally to showcase the differences in technology, but it's important to remember both "vehicles" are solar powered.
Finally!!! Someone tried it!!! I have been mulling this over for ages. Keep going! Think bigger!!! Length of a semi that folds up to car size when stationary
check out solar challenge (australia) - been going on for years... similar idea to this guy but usually far better equipment thanks to lots of sponsorship in the competition (not knocking this guy, he did well for a 1 man home build).
Wow you are a genius and make everything look so easy. Crikey so many of us just dont have the patience or know how and skillset. You are a Master craftsman...........!
Awesome project :) Great video. The only suggestion I can think of that could produce some improvement is make the frame from aluminium tubing instead of steel. That would certainly save quite a bit of weight.
Bridgestone solar challenge is always great to watch to get inspired. If you switched to rigid bifacial solar panels you could reduce the amount of panels you need. And if you built everything out of aluminum to reduce the weight. Love the build.
I used to drive a DIY solar car in the 90s in Sacramento California. People used to say it looked like a "Stealth Bomber" etc. It was very lightweight and was built basically around a homemade recumbent bike frame with a streamlined shell. I always knew that if it had a trailer for extra solar panels that it would have had a much greater range. In those days though the panels cost too much for my budget. Nowadays it can be done more economically. Thanks for the great video of such an awesome device!
When I was much younger I used to watch the show Popular Mechanics for Kids which aired in the late 90s. One of the episodes that focused on cars had a mini segment dedicated to solar vehicles. It's quite possible you were featured in it.
@@KraussEMUS1 those ion aircraft are so cool! I had the same idea so long ago when I was way younger but never did anything with it! So amazing to see it in actual real life
@@watchpointoh3354 I think that show was dedicated to U of Michigan solar cars etc. There was also a famous race in Australia. Mine was a DIY one that I drove around in Sacramento Ca. Thanks though!
This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Now, leave the drive sprocket on one of the bike wheels, and have it turning a 12 or 24v generator passively (you might have to construct a gearbox to get the minimum revolutions), that's fed into the solar charge controller. The gearbox should diminish the loss in efficiency due to the added drag of the generator. Might just get you through the cloudy patches.
Awesome that you made this with standard hardware. Unlike the Australian Solar car event, your machine doesn’t cost millions. Maybe version three you make the buggy longer, three more panels, more aerodynamic, shaded driver, lighter chasis. Same power system, same tyres, better flexible frame design for absorbing the bumps, and clear windscreen for rider comfort.
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge-the world's premier solar car event relying on solar energy as its power source to travel 3,000 km across the Australian continent over the course of approximately 5 days.
The reason why standard solar panels weight and cost more, is because the glass in front of them does not impact the amount of light that hits the cells, is easy to clean even with chemicals and protects the panels from hail and other climate related hazards. Now, for fun and nice weather, I totally agree that flexible panels are a better option. Really awesome build, I am jealous!
What a beautifully built machine and masterfully produced video! That shot of the horse drawn carriage, passing the solar bike. A horse powered by grass, powered by the sun and a bike and trailer doing the same.
Agree if money isn’t an issue. Although switching out to lower resistance wheels and tires wouldn’t be too much money comparatively speaking. I wonder what the weight difference between aluminum frame and solid panels would be?
Having watched the World Solar Challenge as a kid in the 80s and 90s, when these things cost upwards of a million dollars to build, it's simply mindblowing to see the price of all the components having plummeted to this point. What's your budget so far? Solar is SO cheap now, that you can use steel framing and fat tires, instead of lighter and more efficient components, and just make up for it with MORE CHEAP PANELS. That's just awesome.
I used to look forward to reading about the race and all the vehicles in that challenge. I strictly remember one called the solar racer that smashed the record and beat everyone else by over two days. The thing was shaped like a rain drop. Super aerodynamic Fun times
this has always been in the back of our heads and you just proved it works . now we just need revolutionary technology in the future where all this can be sized down to a small go kart and be able to ride all day long with no charge.!!!!
This project gives me serious The Martian vibes, where Matt Damon had to get creative with limited resources to survive. You're doing something similar but with renewable energy-pushing the limits to make infinite range a reality. It's impressive to see how you're using solar power in such an innovative way. Can't wait to see where this goes next!
@@AstrophageOfficial nothing about this video or this vehicle is practical. No one watching this is wondering about practical use-cases. The point is to demonstrate that the principle is possible with current technology. The way to do that is as I outlined, start with almost no battery and see if it can charge as fast as it consumes energy.
I like the project very much, and i hope one day every car will work like that! One very small input: It seems that some washers are partially covering a little corner of the solar panels. I would try to avoid that, because a very small edge of shadow drops down the power of a panel disproportionately much.
You could double the panels on the trailer by mounting two banks in a V and possibly add additional battery(ies) to capture and store the power. But ultimately when the sun doesn’t shine or it gets dark it will stop and you’ve more or less got a vehicle that can drive all day already. Concept is great.
few tips to reduce friction: try using skinny slick tires pumped up to maximum capacity check your wheel alignment this should give significant mileage boost considering the long distance. Also the flexible panels are less efficient than solid from what I've heard. You could use an aluminium frame for the trailer and use the rigidity from solid panels as part of the structure so maybe look into that factor as well. Great vid, I've always dreamed about doing this kind of build.
Solved: 1 - Pollution and global warming from burning fossil fuels 2 - Free urban mobility at minimal cost; simply adapting it to public transport vehicles. 3 - Oil cartel and gas stations. 4 - Noise pollution and traffic accidents due to speeding. 5 - Entertainment. BRAVO!
This is great. These are the kind of cars that should be getting developed by big companies and sold for mass use. And that could make them lighter, more aero, with more efficient tires, etc - so it's doable without needing a trailer or with quite little charging. People will say "Oh it's not safe because it's so small compare to other vehicles". Well.. it's the other vehicles, roads, and laws that should change. We've went way too far down a stupid path and now we have individual people driving to work in massive 7,000 lb vehicles
Some times building something, you build and build. Once you built it, it doesn’t necessarily need any other building. But you build anyway, and then what you built is great but needs a bit more building. Hope the building never stops 👍
I live down in Norfolk county not too far from this guy. I really hope I run into him sometime. I cant wait for the next build video for this project. There's been awesome comments and I cant imagine all the ways he's going to improve this rig.
I can see total off grid living with RV decked panel on all sides and a towing vehicle. A pop up style RV with light material. Could pair this up with a Tesla but off road off grid can be possible with your concept. Or even for short work distance and never having to pay for electricity to charge your car or for gas. Keep it up and keep building !
As a TH-cam university graduate and city keyboard scribe, please let me tell you how you should improve your project.
Haha best comment! Pinned 👍
Comments are TH-cams bread and butter. Any engagement is good. Even this in bad taste criticism of the engaged audience that surely will have some albeit minimal effect on people making suggestions which is harmless.
I'm sitting here waiting for the expertise in the comments lol
@@bobscat-wj4ub *could HAVE
@@DrewBuildsStuff You kno how they make lights for bicycles that can be powered by a little wheel that set on the bike wheel basically making it motion powered. Can you attach something like that to all four wheels to make a difference? & would it work at all in any way to make & or keep power?
You could drop a heck of a lot of weight by building the trailer out of aluminium, only the vehicle itself needs to be somewhat structurally safe, other than cost it doesn’t really matter if the trailer is hit and destroyed. On the subject of the panels it would be good to make some aero out of thin plastic to direct airflow under them for cooling, you’ll get significantly better efficiency the cooler they are.
I can't weld aluminum... th-cam.com/video/NNmnkDev9VQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BP-jNJIyqO3SAec4&t=1537
@@DrewBuildsStuff Two word: Carbon Fiber
@@DrewBuildsStuff get a lot of L channel aluminum, if you use the right hardware you could just cut, drill and bolt it all together
@@DrewBuildsStuff Ebay has Tig welders that are pretty decent for around $400...then you could weld aluminum.
There are also Brazing Rods, 3M Urethane Epoxy, or just bolt the aluminum together.
@@DrewBuildsStuff What about wood?
Has anyone told you about the World Solar Challenge held biennially in Australia for the last 20+ years? You have to drive a solar car from Darwin to Adelaide (~3000 km).
I compete in this for the WSU Solar car team!
3000km is crazy!
@@Tyler_18_ 3022km in 5 days against 34 competitors with a car you built from scratch Is a true adventure. There's a TH-cam oringal series on this called light speed by seeker i recommend it !
Race the Sun movie
I was going to recommend this challenge as well as a source of inspiration.
There must be papers available with techniques they use to improve performance and reduce drag to extend the range.
As an electric skateboarder I try to get as much range as possible. With nobby off-road tyres, I get 42 kilometres. With Road tyres I get 63 kilometre distance,
They are called off-road tyres for a reason. I’m in Melbourne Australia and I can hear your rumbling tyres from here ; )
I'm thinking Schwalbe Super Moto.
This, you can literally hear the inefficiency
i dont need more yhan 40 kil at age 52 on skateboard after 20 km i had enough so 250 km is an over kill job well done
Hi, that sounds really cool what skateboard do you have btw I live in Bendigo so ur location surprised me a lot
ur probably from werribee, imma send the cops to fine u. thanks
IMMENSE Real world practical applications. Especially if we can figure out a way to turn the trailer into a truck bed combo. You have no idea how genius this is.
As a solar design engineer, I love the effort you put into this, but I believe you can fundamentally change some items for far greater success:
1. manufactured solar panels are not just heavier. They have greater power density. You can get a 420W panel that weighs about 50-70lbs. The use of aluminum railing and glass also increases heat transfer. Solar panels heat up and their efficiency drops considerably. Using the wood backing and the flexible panels, their efficiency due to heat is lower. The manufactured panels will stay cool especially on a moving vehicle.
2. The steel frame is heavy. Consider using solar railing for the frame. Something like the Ironridge XR100 has great rigidity for the weight and has built in attachment points. You can use end clamps and mid clamps to secure the panels to the rail for easy removal. You'd shave a lot of weight and reduce the footprint of the vehicle.
3. I didn't see the initial video, so I don't fully understand your electrical setup, but you may benefit from a different power supply configuration. The excess solar production needs to go somewhere. Use a configuration where the power supply can be powered by the panels, and excess solar charges the battery. As solar power goes down, the battery takes over.
I was JUST thinking about #3. That excess power is wasted otherwise, and you lose extra time. I believe powerwalls and solar powering houses have the ability to do just this.
@@karanoelle4819 There is no excess power, all the power in a setup like this goes to power the vehicle and the rest charges the battery. And if you have excess power due to the battery being full you are out of luck, either get more batteries, larger / more motors that use all the energy and give you more speed or except the loss.
@@karanoelle4819 they do.
It would be interesting to see a performance comparison of the actual configuration and the one you suggested...
I admire your efforts! Applaud the the time and money you exerted into the vehicle/ trailer and video. Forgive me if you did mention in video, but what was your average speed and top speed and rough weight of vehicle +/- trailer?
Hey Drew, if you ever decide to revisit this project, consider:
Switching over to rigid panels. The flexible panel produce 1/2 of the rigid panels power at peak. You can possibly integrated the panel as structural parts as well. Many of them designed to handle snow loads.
Use higher voltage but in parallel. Many panels have poor performance in shaded conditions, and can affect the performance of the whole string.
Having the panels directly facing the sun makes a big difference.
Could’ve also used 450w rigid panels and not really need the trailer.
And make the trailer and frame lighter (aluminum), and use lower rolling resistance tires, and find all the other ways to improve your efficiency rather than just upping your capacity. If you continue to use flexible panels, mount them to rigid styro insulation rather than cedar. Solar panels and battery tech improve monumentally each year, but it's important to nail down the fundamentals. Think "Aptera" rather than "Hummer EV".
There's alot of factors involved. yes ridgid can produce more, but they are also significantly heavier. You also need more structure in your base to suport said extra weight adding even more mass for your motor to haul around requiring more power. So its not as simple as just saying use ridgid pannels and cut the number needed in half.
@@tyrelirwin You mean dream Aptera, as thats all it is
Use narrower tires, reduce roll resistance. You could mount solar panels overhead, use it as sunshades and weather protection and get rid of the trailer. that is also reducing roll resistance.
I wonder what the trade off would be with drag would be.
@@robloggia I built a battery-less solar bike 10 years ago.. very similar structure, except I made a 4ft tail off the back. V4 - was going to try and elongate the front 4 ft aswell..
Not to mention the added weight of the trailer and extra panels. All that extra weight affects the range negatively
@@robloggia
Aerodynamic drag could be significantly improved very cheaply.
Just take the solar panels off, and wrap the space frame chassis with industrial pallet wrapping.
Then re-attach the panels.
Use aluminum instead of steel.
This is so cool, I didn't know a bunch of solar pannels could harvest all that energy to move a lightweight "vehicle" for that many km!
As a cyclist I know if you put slick tires on those wheels you will get better efficiency and a smoother/quieter ride. I wouldn't put narrower tires on though, some fat tire slicks would be perfect. Would be cool to be able to tilt the trailer panels, like in the sun setting end if you could stand those panels up a bit then you could have gotten home. Maybe triangle shaped frame in front and rear with panels sitting on a center pipe that can lock flat or tilt and lock one way or the other.
I would use track tyres. Thin as thin gets. You don't need fat tyres on this at all.
ya indeed , slick tire would be much better
That's what I was just going to write. Some 100psi bmx tires would do alot of Justice. And slanting a panel up would create a great spoilers to keep it down at speed
Air pressure is an easy fix. Costs nothing and can possibly get more gain with zero additional dollars
@@KC9UDX If you look at where road bike tires have gone over the last couple decades, they're getting fatter. They found that fatter tires run at a lower pressure have lower rolling resistance (and are more comfortable) than skinny tires at the necessary higher pressure. All the vibration you feel with really skinny tires is wasted energy. Yes there are aerodynamic considerations but not really a factor on this pretty draggy vehicle.
Dude, I've been welding almost 20 years now. I'm not just saying this, 90% of your welds are GOOD WELDS. Honestly. You're too hard on yourself about that stuff. 95% of those welds would pass inspection and are structurally sound. I hope this helps reassure you to just weld it up and ignore the Karen's. Most of the people who would bash welds like those almost assuredly just like insulting people because they're unhappy with their own lives. And I would bet a large percentage of that group is not even qualified to comment on welds in the first place. You did awesome man. Loved the welds, loved the build, loved the video. Keep up the awesome work brotha! :)
Not a welder, so won't comment on weld quality, though welding in a t-shirt does look like a sure way for x-ray skin burns or worse - depending on exposure dose.
Yes I'm sure Logan is up in the mystique mountains as professor Xavier is magnetising the ionosphere to cause a global rising of cake in the oven
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Yes agree. The first couple looked a bit untidy but the later welds were great. Not an easy skill so good effort. As was mentioned the difference between a bad weld and a good weld is a minute with a grinder.
@@vaakdemandante8772 no xrays in welding, only uv. And from a uv blocking standpoint, a t-shirt is more than enough..
It’s worth pausing to appreciate that 10-20 years ago this would be a multi-million dollar project by a team of phds.
Now it’s a (very impressive!) but still fairly achievable build for a TH-cam video with off the shelf parts and without any crazy aero bubbles etc
The *next* 10-20 years of progress will be fun to observe.
Great build and awesome video!
Not really. You’re compressing time a bit. Solar Cars have been a university club sport since the 80s
@@FuncleChuck The aerial video shots would have been the most expensive part a few years ago ;)
@@FuncleChuck OK.. PhD candidates and major auto manufacturers 😅
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Solar_Challenge_1987
I honestly and hopefully believe that in 20 years' time, humanity will have started using fusion reactors.
@@FallLineJPyou're still wrong, 20 years ago was 2004, this project was possible on a budget in 2004.
For a car, aerodynamics is basically everything for fuel efficiency.
If you build a mk2 version I'd be looking at some sort of thin fiberglass body, the air efficiency will outweigh the actual weight of the body in the long run.
Also skinnier tires would help with efficiency, along with solid wheel caps to cover the spokes.
The air drag those spoked wheels make is unbelievable honestly.
I have a local friend who built a similar setup .. pulling a trailer .. the main vehicle is made to look like a miniature Model T pickup .. John Deer green & yellow. He picks up extra energy by using a braking mechanism that engages an alternator and the resistance creates a braking effect while also helping to charge the batteries. Really cool. I wish YT would allow photos for comments like this.
Regenerative braking. My CRV hybrid has that. As soon as you release the gas, regenerative braking kicks in. Kinda annoying. I wish it would NOT kick in unless you engage the paddle shifter.
@@Vagabond_Etranger .. yes .. my friend said that he only uses it when going downhill as a brake since the drag slows him down .. unless the battery is fully charged .. then he has to rely on the brakes.
@@Vagabond_Etranger Or even touched the brake, ya it is annoying AF.
@@anjhindul, so this means you have to continually keep your "gas" engaged with the pedal?
I like to rest mine off the pedal at times while coasting.
You don't know what you're talking about. All EVs have regenerative braking. It's not "a braking mechanism that engages an alternator." You're really dumb for thinking that.
I liked many of the suggestions I’ve read already: lighter frame, a way to cool the panels, light material to make the whole rig more aerodynamic, less roll-resistant tires, maybe a way for you to add pedal power when you’re not too tired and especially going up any hills, some kind of sail to help capture the wind, a way to generate power when going down hill. Fun watching and brainstorming.
Switching to aluminium frame, and a slimmer design would work..
Could you capture some of the headwind while driving to cool the panels?
@@aocg1914 yeah although I can't stop but think the thing itself is a massive sail LOL
can't be very stable with a crosswind
@@SmOgER10 With the weight of the panels, and the aluminuin itself, its enough weight to be stable..
Wouldnt hurt to copy a front design , like the cyber semi..
18:46 Seeing the horse buggy go by followed by your solar "buggy" was VERY satisfying.
The Amish couldn't build a solar powered car . . . but they could borrow yours!
@@rrnabors1 The Amish wouldn't want a solar powered car...Ever. Their horses are far more reliable. Horses also work on cloudy days, or at night. What an incredible achievement. Hopefully, one day, we'll go beyond what the Amish have and find a mode of transportation that doesn't require horses at all! Who knows? We may not even need the sun to be shining. We'll get there soon. I can feel it in my bones.
The Amish are using a solar powered carriage. The horse eats hay, which grows from photosynthesis, which is sunlight powered.
They are Way ahead of you Lou
@@STho205 By that same ridiculous logic, humans are solar powered, because we breathe in the oxygen produced by plants and trees.
The horse is also solar powered.
This build has real potential. You already got the goal of theoretical infinity range in good weather conditions. Now imagine making it as light weight as safely possible, make it more aerodynamic, proper cooling for the panels, street wheels with minimum profile. Finding a good solar panel to battery ratio. Like there could be sooooo much more possible with this base! This is extremely intresting!
Awesome dude. I put an e-bike build together that comes home every day after work and plugs into an outlet on my 400W solar shed which has accumulated enough charge throughout the day to get me to work and back the next day.
I´d just have it charging a second swappable battery, but that´s because I´m just that cool
你是上夜班吗或者用月光发电😂
@@xinxiao2394 Clearly you cant read. The system has a battery bank. If you had your eyes open you'd see the word 'accumulated'.
Thats great, afterall there is always night
That is what it's all about right there. Well done!
Should find some quieter tires. Probably will extend your range as well.
I would suggest the same but he did seem to take it on dirt paths a few times. And smooth fat tires are slightly harder to find
For the short term, the bicycle tires ok, but I would change to motorcycle tires for a long term solution.
@@nedlyest if range is the desire, road bicycle tires make way more sense.
@@tyrelirwin I'm just looking at the overall longevity. The bearings as well as the tires are only good for 1000ish miles, where motorcycle tires are into the 10s of thousands. Brand dependant.
@@sgas I had cross tyres for my mountain bike for 70/30 , smoother grip center tyre for less rolling resistance and a knobbl youter for grip on dirt tracks or softer ground must be a tyre out there that would have less rolling resistance it is a four wheeler.
I like the idea. And its cool that you actually built it but three minutes in and there is a ton of ways for you to improve this. I hope you keep going.
Truly appreciate the work you put into your videos Drew. Production value is amazing!
Thank you, appreciate the support for the channel! Thanks for watching 😊
Maxxis Holy Roller 20x2.2 hybrid tires. Great tire, MUCH less rolling resistance. Just an idea. Love the project!!
Less rolling resistance of a good road tyre as opposed to knobblys...
@@geoffmerritt He's driving on gravel roads though.
@@filonin2 looks like they're mostly paved? the gravel sections are hard packed too. Would have zero hesitation riding those with slick bicycle tyres on a bicycle. I imagine a 4 wheeled vehicle means even more grip?
It’s always a good day when Drew builds more stuff
:DD
I think it has massive real world practical purpose man! Most car rides people take are relatively short errands which they could 100% be using alternative sustainable modes of travel, even as a grocery getter for most people it’s insanely practical and useful, amazing work man.
You live in fantasy land!
@@shealdedmon7027lol why do you think that? Plenty of people ride ebikes and drive electric cars all over the world now do they not?
@@alecbang4484 spending just a few minutes thinking about what you said should reveal the answer you seek!
Aerodynamics will help a lot for sure. For a few pounds you could put a shell on this that might save you 20% on air resistance alone. Someone else said knobby tires and that tracks, too. Noise = loss!
But this is super awesome. Thanks for building and sharing!
If a solar plane can fly around the world, this car could drive all day
If he gets to a cd of 0.2, he would save like 50N tops on drag because he can only go 40km/h, that spread over 300km saves 15MJ of power right? Wich would save 4.1kWh, wich is a damn lot haha, but the problem is getting to that 0.2 without adding weight enough to blunder too much that 50N drag.
Aerodynamics were my concern as well. Since he's using flexible panels he may even be able to move them all to one chassis and form a cockpit. Then just box in the floor with hard foam or something light and easy to shape.
So glad to see this project continuing!
Next step is to make an aerodynamic chassis and reduce the rolling resistance. You can get away with fewer watts with three wheels, better tires and some aero faring while still reaching 45 km/h
Not to mention 3 wheels gives it a prayer of being road legal
Exactly - you could increase range and decrease burn when using less wide, waay smoother tracked tires.
For some tips he should search for "Outback solar race" on youtube. There has been an 1800mile (2900km) EV desert crossing race in Australia since the 1980's. The vehicles are extremely refined, covered in solar panels that are moulded to the aerodynamic shape of the body design. 3 wheels, very thin wheels. Enclosed cockpits. They can average speeds of 70mph from sunrise to sunset running only on solar.
@@fisharmor Certainly not without a license plate and insurance.
@Mike-oz4cv That doesn't sound like much of an issue, really. Registration and insurance of a three-wheeled motorcycle is usually pretty cheap. A lot of places in the US don't even require motorcycle licenses for an enclosed autocycle either.
A 450 watt solar panel weighs just under 52 lbs. The efficiency of the rigid panel is much higher as is the longevity; so the weight savings are not nearly as important as it seems. An aluminum trailer and bike would have almost completely offset the additional weight IMO. Having said that, your builds are brilliant and I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos 😊.
The panels have structural integrity themselves as most are designed to be mounted on the sides only in the middle, and sustain 80mph winds. So he could have saved additional weight by using a lighter gauge steel and letting the panel frames provide additional integrity. Biracial panels are also an option
Don't even need a trailer if you design the base vehicle with 450w panels.
@@normalguy556 "Biracial" gave me a good laugh
@@KuddleKittens yeah autocorrect is a hoe sometimes
ok but he would need to redesign the whole thing more power, more weight, needs bigger brakes, probably can go faster so better aero. At his scale and price what he did is excellent
Well this was created for entertainment value and I was thoroughly entertained...again. Sometimes youtube actually comes up with videos I want to watch. I'm impressed with the level of quality and sophistication given the incredibly low cost. I would no doubt overbuild and spend too much if I tried something like this. Absolutely fabulous.
Amazing. As a kid I built an infinite range solar car, out of LEGO. It was about 1ft long. No battery, really struggled in the shade, but the concept was there.
I built one of those as well, used 3 of the lego solar panels. It was very slow, but it worked.
I think it is a matter of scale. Small motors don't use nearly the amount of watts and have good power to weight efficiency. Plus, the model you made didn't have the extra weight of a human inside it.
3 large panels could probably spin his motors but they wouldn't have a lot of power.
@@OneOfDisease Higher voltage motors could also improve his efficiency a ton. Electric unicycles have some mean motors reaching 150+ volts, with peak power of 8kW each.
Doesn't Aptera already have a solar powered car ? You tube it ..
In 5th grade my solar charger caused a fire in the classroom 😀
Sure. Lots of ways I'd improve a v2.0. But you're out there actually building this stuff and doing so in a way that entertains. Thank you, Drew!
I remember when you built the car and thought so much more can be achieved. You came back and did more it's people like you who dare to do this stuff that helps inspire others to do more.
Thanks for your drive and sharing what you've done.
Hey man, when fitting up your frame always put plenty of hefty tacks on all corners or sides of each joint, as you tack you can tweak/double check square and level, it also helps keep it from warping as you weld it up. Also for each joint weld opposite sides at a time to further decrease warping.
Hi. The rigid solar panels weigh a lot more, because they are a little larger, and they produce MUCH more power.
Rigid panels can produce 450w per panel, 230w/m2. Flexible panels produce about 175w per panel, 165w/m2.
4 rigid panels will give you more power than 9 flexible panels - you might not not even need a trailer - saving much more weight.
That's a good point.
Rigid panels may have durability issues in a high-vibration environment like a road vehicle.
@@teardowndan5364
It's quite common to use rigid panels on motorhomes and campervans - at over 100kmh/60mph.
The simple solution for vibration is rubber. Just like any suspension bush or engine mount.
@@c6q3a24 No vibrations when you mount them ridigly with hard mounts in every corner and in the middle on a 1m x 1,6m like on my van that go 100km/h usually on long trips (uses less fuel at that speed then when going slower, most likely because when going slower you drive in 5th gear but at that higher speed you can use 6th gear). I would think that rubber mounts actually increases that chance of the panels vibrating?
@@a64738 Your van has suspension ... this vehicle is transmitting every vibration.
If you dropped the weight of the frame down, you could possibly exchange that weight for an additional battery.
I love this project. The shot of the horse and buggy is priceless. Your builds are always fun, but the effort you put into the presentation is so very appreciated!!!❤
the "opposing similarities"(not sure if that how you would say it) of the horse drawn buggy and a self sustaining electric vehicle was amazing.
both are solar powered!
@@vinny9152yep and both will still be around in 300, 500, 1,000 years when the other systems are kaput
The word you are looking for is juxtaposition.
As I see it, the greatest difference is that horses can 'build' more little copies of themselves. Here's an idea or two to ruminate on... 1) A 'fresnel' layer, composed of many for each panel, or, 2) a layer of hemispherical bubbles in an overlay to focus light from a less than overhead sun onto the layer below, or 3) A tubular photocell as an on/off switch to a tilting mechanism for more direct interaction, as it cannot be noon all the time. Just an old fart noodling around with a subject I'm just coming to grips with.
@@whophd No, that's a false assumption.
It takes very refinded processes to build solar cells.
If shtf, the technology to build solar cells won't survive and cannot be rebuilt in an aftermath MadMax scenario.
You can refine crude oil with primitive technology like in Mad Max and fire up surviving internal combustion engines, but you cannot produce silicium wafers.
So - horse and buggy are the safer bet.
I'm going to play with this on Sketchup. Thanks to your hard work and thought, I think that someone with modest design skill could greatly improve this, making it lighter and more compact, while increasing output. Thanks for all the effort.
It's crazy that most of us had this idea crossed our mind at least once, yet hardly anyone tried it.
There's a lot of room of improvement here. Please add donation under the video or something so we can contribute for next project on this idea. We want to see most efficient build of this. Prove the world wrong.
Its a lot of work to build something like this, only to not be allowed to drive it on public roads.
You bet. TH-cam allows me to have the time and finances to build something like this. It would be pretty hard to justify the build without TH-cam.
Theres actually an annual competition to make an entirely solar powered car. Its just impossible at least with today’s technology to make a practical, commercially viable car that is entirely solar powered
@@SamuelMM_Mitosis I don't think it is impossible, but it would take a lot of cooperation with industry people who can make more money by building vehicles that aren't solar cars.
Its like how you can make more money making videos that sell videogames than making videos that teach calculus, but it doesn't cost $100,000,000 to make calculus videos, so a few people do it anyway.
@@SamuelMM_Mitosis I imagine there are a lot of people that will do anything to stop a commercially viable solar powered car?
THANK YOU for making this video. It hit home with me. Years ago I took a toy Ford Bronco which ran on two AA batteries. I removed the batteries and built a trailer eerily similar to yours and mounted twelve 2 watt Radio Shack solar cells on it. I wired it in series - parallel and connected the wires to the positive and negative battery terminals. (I did not replace the batteries. The power is supplied solely from the cells). When in the sunlight the Bronco would barrel down the sidewalk. With no remote controls the only way to stop it was to run and catch it and take it out of the sun. (It would actually move slowly in the shade). What fun this was. I built two of them, the other being a different vehicle, not a Bronco. Loved this video so much I subscribed
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My favorite thing about Drew’s filmmaking style is that every single shot always has at least a touch of motion to it. Makes the whole project breathe - smart stuff
This is my ever favourite video in TH-cam ❤
For a prototype, this is badass! Real nice simple design and looks like fun to make. As some others here suggest, changing the material of the frame would help. As a retired engineer, I am geeking out, lol.
Grat job!, 10 years ago nobody would've believed that you can create a self sufficient vehicle with solar, even like this. you proved all of them wrong!
In the mid 90’s a guy named Dick Smith made and drove a solar powered car that he and his team drove from Perth to Sydney and established the record for that 3000 km drive in a solar vehicle. The concept has been around for a while.
@@kimhenry5658 ok, sorry, my knowledge is limited, and I didn’t know about that.
@@kimhenry5658 why did someone gave him the name "DICK" lol
@@MichaelFalcon-g3f no problem. the problem is that these vehicles are easy to make and nobody seems to use them because the average person doesn't have access to a workshop, money and the skills needed to build one. companies make these, but they're expensive and niche. you basically only see youtubers and quirky rich people with these things... that goes for many of these ideas. shame, really. don't worry about looking stupid, there are too many wonders in this world.
Freakin sweet.
Nice work!
You need such a trailer for your Humvee immediately :)
Sup
Hey look the commie showed up.
❤ Soler panel has Glass 😅.
surprised nobody has done it yet but the ideal panel is actually a vertical cylinder of panels
facing inwards to collect light.
an upside down thermometer shaped glass would b placed in the center with the bulb up top
grabbing light from 360 degrees and sending it down the shaft emitting light in all directions
to the cylinder panels below.
18:45 I'm sure the Amish lady appreciates you blurring her face in your video on building a devil machine
oh shit I lol
When I saw the buggy I thought of a possible business idea. Some Amish churches accept solar panels and wind turbines as a way of having energy. So something like this that could transport then like 200 miles in a day (something a horse can't do) could be a good way of transport for them.
@@Juangontiz It's a pretty uncommon view in among the Amish. They mainly believe technology is a result of man's gluteny and therefore is sinful. I've really only seen the Amish use technology when it helps their personal businesses. Like for using digital purchasing as there's a large portion of people who refuse to use cash today, they need digital purchasing to keep business.
Amish by us use everything battery powered. They also sell all brands of battery powered hand tools . I saw one kid flying a drone a couple days ago. Go Amish -Trump2024
I think it would be better if you adjust the angle of your front solar panel, aerodynamics are important.
Why take offense of the people giving suggestions? Take it as a compliment to the content creator, guys, he got people excited about the idea and trying to help improve it, as he requested. I see no sense in dismissing people calling them armchair engineers and such when many are likely to be actual experts in the technology and skill set involved.
Some people are more butthurt about "backseat-drivers" than others. I suffer from a similar sensitivity. I admit, it is a setback, as it makes it harder for me to sincerely consider what might be very valid suggestions. It takes time to tame that knee-jerk reaction to critique, but it's an ongoing process.
@@larjasoul I think it's easy to understand it from the first person, it's not easy to take criticism even when it's gentle and constructive, it takes maturity. But I find it so much stranger to take offense as a third person over the possibly offended feelings of the one receiving the critique who actually asked for in the video xD
Agree 100%
Video is awesome, but I'm just sad afterwards when I scroll and see that pinned comment/response :c
@@Leongon DONT YOU DARE TELL ME HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT. jklol.
yeah it is a very weird mindset to take offense on OP's behalf. terminally online behavior.
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As a fellow graduate of the School of Hard Knocks with a degree at TH-cam University, my logic tells me that constructing your trailer frame from a lightweight aluminum chassis would cut the weight way down and take less energy to pull. I gotta say I am thoroughly impressed with your design. The wiring and PV equipment was very clean. I appreciate the video!
That's how Elon built the frame for the cyber truck 😲
bunch of know-it-all yappersvilles in the comments who never built anything close to this.
@@kylecrane5751 LOL. Point taken
@@marsettenmohn And you know this how??
i build this concept 3 years ago ,go to youtube Brunson solar power car
I love the horse-drawn carriage then the solar car passing each other. Pretty poetic!
Very cool! Of course, if I tried driving something like that around where I live, I'd get run over by a giant pickup truck going 80 mph or something. And if I managed to avoid that, then the police would give me a ticket for driving something that isn't properly registered and inspected.
Ayo it's the ibookguy!
Yep, something with four wheels like this could draw attention from local law enforcement for those reasons. You might be able to get around that by using 3 wheels instead, either delta or tadpole design.
Hey 8bitguy same around here but very cool idea
@@jayw900 😃
@@nicholas4839 😄
Hi there! Nice project! I really liked it. One way to improve it a bit is to raise the rear panels to a sunny side. For example, if you are driving east and the sun is to the right - the panels should be lifted from the left and angled towards the sun.
This should improve the efficiency of the solar panels a little.
The idea here is to get the panel surface as close to 90 degrees to the sun as possible.
I think I have described the idea correctly. Thank you very much!
Yeah I thought the exact same thing for long journeys in one direction. It makes a noticeable difference to efficiency having them angled towards the sun..
It looked like maybe he was doing a big loop of local roads, in which case you would need to change the height more frequently. I thought having the panel mounting struts on actuators that could raise and lower each panel corner separately. That way you could angle them back if the sun was behind you, forward if it's in front, or either side, while you're driving.
It's all fun and games until the clouds come out 😂
Seriously, though, I'm in my thirties and I want to be like you when I grow up. Great project!
when you grow up?
@@olscro the only thing turning 30 taught me is that I'm just closer to turning 40 than I am to feeling like an adult.
Ask any millennial, they'll probably tell you the same thing.
the original car is the most practical, especially if you add a nice big cargo area. imagine having that little cart for a country town, trips to the grocery store, cruising around for free for 20 years until the batteries need replacing. i’m going to build it, you’ve inspired me :) all aluminium.
So many people seemed to not have seen a solar car or boat before.
Its' great to have fun building your own stuff.
An idea for the trailer: Raising the solar panels, extend over/on top of the wheels, and rotate 90°.
place the panels more like this: /⁻⁻\.
Put the 3 panels front to back in series instead of left to right.
You would need 3 more panels and have 1 more set in series.
When the sun is high, all 3 series on the trailer generate power.
Is the sun lower, then depending on the angle, 1 side and the top have sun.
Is the sun about to set, then 1 side still generates some power.
Raising the panels also creates space for storage, foldable chair, tent, batteries or other stuff so you can go camping for example.
And if you don't want to buy more panels you could shorten the trailer and have the trailer move less like a seesaw on bumps and holes in the road.
A horse and buggy are just another kind of solar powered vehicle. I loved watching your build and drive. Very relaxing.
hehe fun way to look at it, but I'm also thinking by that definition Oil is also solar energy
All power is solar power. Wind, Water, even wood from photosynthesis. Edit: The only exception would be nuclear. But one could say all power is nuclear.
And the horse has heating for the nordic people such as me
@hazratmuhazmat8831geo thermal?
Also first trials for fusion have been showing net energy gain.
Not being used yet, but still you said all.
@@WhyName Without the sun, the earth would become an ice ball.
Whoa, why did the like button glow when you said we should like the video. And that's an awesome car for future generations to learn off from
Excellent test. The reason we don't see solar panels on cars is because it makes more sense to put them somewhere stationary, charge a battery then come and charge the car there, because the car will often be in a non-ideal location for solar panels whereas stationary ones can always be at the ideal angle/location. The reason we can't have 'infinite range' on are normal vehicles is an area problem as you found out.
Actually, on a vehicle using enough power, like a Tesla, the solar just isn't enough to matter much. That's why the tesla doesn't use solar, while Aptera has them because it uses little enough power to make a difference.
@@adastraedu Electric cars have a problem similar to the famous 'tyranny of the rocket equation'. Essentially, as you add more batteries to add more range, you are also adding more weight which requires more power. So a solar powered car that could drive at night would need more batteries and to fill those batteries would need more panels and to pull all that extra weight would need even more batteries and panels and it quickly gets ridiculous. Nevertheless solar cells on the surface of any electric car would make an appreciable difference to daytime range, but even in the case of the Aptera, the extra cost means that it still makes more sense to have stationary panels and to to recharge when necessary. For the Aptera it is a sales gimmick not a good sense option.
@@TimothyWhiteheadzm you clearly haven't looked into Aptera enough. The average Californian would never need to plug in their Aptera. The projected efficiency is around 100wh/mile. 400w of solar panels. 10 hours of sun nets 40 miles a day. More than the average person needs. Quite a bit more than "just a sales gimmick"...
@@tyrelirwinProjected efficiency, not proven real world average efficiency.
And, 40mi a day wouldn’t get a lot of people to work and back let alone trying to run some errands or take a trip somewhere.
As interesting and neat as they are it just isn’t a valid solution for many people. A plug in hybrid makes so much more sense and would benefit far more people.
Counterpoint.... Trains
I think it has 100% usefullness, especially for here in Australia. The Wright brothers didn't fly around the world with their first plane. ☺ Carbon fibre body, solarplex canopy to reduce wind resistance. 🥰🥰 Well done and a step in the right direction.
Look up the Aptera, it's a near-production ready vehicle as you describe.
Solar challenge
@@zilfondel there's been many of these vehicles and ideas but they never reach the average person. every other year some new cool invention comes out and nobody gets to use it because it's some hyper-expensive niche product. same goes for all these robots, we likely won't see them in our day-to-day lives in the next decades, let alone have access to them, you can write off owning one.
Dude, the vehicle is amazing. You have demonstrated so many skills just with this one build: electrical/mechanical/materials engineering, solar tech, bike tech, painter, etc. It's very, very impressive. I really enjoyed the Amish wagon juxtaposition. The stunt double is hilarious. I think the design is fantastic, as are the finishing aesthetics. Thank you for following through on your scientific experiment. It was a huge success!
Oh, I forgot environmental engineering. Also, what beautiful county. Where is this being filmed?
Sorry but this design has dozens of serious flaws, it isn't fantastic in any way
Drew, in case it hasnt been mentioned below, change your tires from nobby to smooth pavement tires and run them about 10% over their max. Take a fishing scale and attach it to the rigg and pull on it to see what the rolling resistance is of the whole vehicle.
Give the trailer bed the ability to tilt left to right, possibly in a motorized fashion, controllable from the driver seat . You could further maximize available light as you change direction in relation to the sun. Love the project !! Keep Going !!
My thinking exactly. you can actually do left/right and up/down with a total of 2 linear actuators and a ball joint. Hook that up to a cluster of light sensors and a processor that automatically adusts the angle based on that data and you could be looking at easily a 30% increase in efficiency in morning and afternoon.
Bigger battery is cheaper simpler and more reliable
I love your intent, and so admire using your resources to pursue this cool project. I think you might be missing an opportunity with the solar panels, however. Maxeon 7 has a 445W panel, as an example. Your nine panels totaled 1575W and even without the trailer weigh almost 90 kg including the wood frames. Only four of the Maxeons would be 1780W for a 13% increase in charge capacity, weigh less than 84 kg, and if you made a "roof" on your car with one of the panels it would not only shield you from the heat, you wouldn't even need the entire trailer system. So MUCH less weight, and less drag, which means much more power efficiency. Just a thought!
Yep there is a solar bike race in France and the self build designs there are converging on a single, tilting roof over the length of the vehicle.
"How much gas you got left in your car?"
"4 hours and no clouds"
Dude that’s actually pretty funny
"a life of non-slavery"
"no need to buy inefficient black goo"
I would love to see this same concept applied to an ultra light. Imagine covering the wings in these flexible solar cells and a small electric motor. Unlimited flight range is a dream.
0:10 not to brag or anything, but i thought of this when i was 6😎 (my parents were very unsuportive)
@@travismiller5548 damn dawg thats totally tubular
This idea sucks anyway unless you want to drive solar panel bus
@@lnteI their is some validity here, but you'd need an extremely light (and emtpy) bus inorder for the energy to exceed the weight it has to propell if that makes sense
It's kind of how everyone has the "freezerwave" idea when they're 5 to compliment the microwave. Then as adults realize it's a pretty common idea (not to rain on your parade lol)
You parents sniffed farts for a living
These shots have literally the vibe of post-apocalyptic tv series where main hero travels on his solar mobile and collects abandoned things on the road, then takes rest at night.
They made the post apocalypse eco friendly 😭
When he passes the horse drawn carriage, it looks like it was done intentionally to showcase the differences in technology, but it's important to remember both "vehicles" are solar powered.
The horse has a bigger battery though. It can go on all night.
Everything on earth is solar powered. Even uranium was made in a star.
@@Klipik12 ha ha.. true! we the life as it exists today - is solar powered in some stage of its existance!
@@Klipik12 That is true, but a solar panel and a horse are a lot further up the chain than the elements formed in our star.
@@JamshadAhmad and a lot of raw horsepower.
Great build. Well done video making and storytelling too 💪🙌👏👏👏
First thing I thought when I started watching was "...sounds like a TIE fighter..." So cool!!!!!
that's because of the knobby tires. Get a regular bicycle with knobbies or a fatbike and it'll sound the same. Pitch changing with speed. Enjoy.
It turns out a TIE Fighter sounds suspiciously like a knobby-tired electric-powered cart..
Most Lucasfilm spaceship noises are from the studio's sound designers recording vehicles passing by on the interstate. So it's not too surprising.
It's cool, but that's the sound of wasted energy
@@PropaneWP not rly
Finally!!! Someone tried it!!! I have been mulling this over for ages. Keep going! Think bigger!!! Length of a semi that folds up to car size when stationary
That would be cool. If the video gets enough attention I will push this idea into something bigger
A million views in 24 hours is good right😊😊😊 lets gooooo@@DrewBuildsStuff
@@DrewBuildsStuff How much is "enough attention"? This video has been out for 2 days and already has well over 1.1 million views.
Check out the World Solar Challenge that happens in Australia every year. They do 3000km races in pure solar vehicles.
check out solar challenge (australia) - been going on for years... similar idea to this guy but usually far better equipment thanks to lots of sponsorship in the competition (not knocking this guy, he did well for a 1 man home build).
Wow you are a genius and make everything look so easy. Crikey so many of us just dont have the patience or know how and skillset. You are a Master craftsman...........!
Awesome project :) Great video. The only suggestion I can think of that could produce some improvement is make the frame from aluminium tubing instead of steel. That would certainly save quite a bit of weight.
Bridgestone solar challenge is always great to watch to get inspired.
If you switched to rigid bifacial solar panels you could reduce the amount of panels you need. And if you built everything out of aluminum to reduce the weight.
Love the build.
@Brigestone
I used to drive a DIY solar car in the 90s in Sacramento California. People used to say it looked like a "Stealth Bomber" etc. It was very lightweight and was built basically around a homemade recumbent bike frame with a streamlined shell. I always knew that if it had a trailer for extra solar panels that it would have had a much greater range. In those days though the panels cost too much for my budget. Nowadays it can be done more economically. Thanks for the great video of such an awesome device!
I’m from sac too that’s too cool! Got any pics
@@allyboouwu I posted a pic, but it’s not showing up yet. Let’s wait and see.
When I was much younger I used to watch the show Popular Mechanics for Kids which aired in the late 90s. One of the episodes that focused on cars had a mini segment dedicated to solar vehicles. It's quite possible you were featured in it.
@@KraussEMUS1 those ion aircraft are so cool! I had the same idea so long ago when I was way younger but never did anything with it! So amazing to see it in actual real life
@@watchpointoh3354 I think that show was dedicated to U of Michigan solar cars etc. There was also a famous race in Australia. Mine was a DIY one that I drove around in Sacramento Ca. Thanks though!
"A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't". One of my favorite sayings!
Along similar lines, sometimes people say, "Do your best and caulk the rest."
This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Now, leave the drive sprocket on one of the bike wheels, and have it turning a 12 or 24v generator passively (you might have to construct a gearbox to get the minimum revolutions), that's fed into the solar charge controller. The gearbox should diminish the loss in efficiency due to the added drag of the generator. Might just get you through the cloudy patches.
Getting some "The Martian" vibes from this build.
Good job!
I was thinking the exact same Thing ❤
Awesome that you made this with standard hardware. Unlike the Australian Solar car event, your machine doesn’t cost millions. Maybe version three you make the buggy longer, three more panels, more aerodynamic, shaded driver, lighter chasis. Same power system, same tyres, better flexible frame design for absorbing the bumps, and clear windscreen for rider comfort.
He should get a sponsor.
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge-the world's premier solar car event relying on solar energy as its power source to travel 3,000 km across the Australian continent over the course of approximately 5 days.
APTERA
@@rchender ??
@@rodh2168 Aptera!
@@rodh2168 vaporware
@@rodh2168when someone writes something you don't understand/know, look it up.
The reason why standard solar panels weight and cost more, is because the glass in front of them does not impact the amount of light that hits the cells, is easy to clean even with chemicals and protects the panels from hail and other climate related hazards.
Now, for fun and nice weather, I totally agree that flexible panels are a better option.
Really awesome build, I am jealous!
What a beautifully built machine and masterfully produced video! That shot of the horse drawn carriage, passing the solar bike.
A horse powered by grass, powered by the sun and a bike and trailer doing the same.
SO much room for massive improvement. Lighter frame. Better panels. Low resistance tyres.
Money money money. It's a prototype.
@@ex-engineer6657 i think the 2 and a half million views of the last video more than could have paid for an aluminum frame and street tires
He won't use it anyway. 🤗
how many solar cars have you built?
Agree if money isn’t an issue. Although switching out to lower resistance wheels and tires wouldn’t be too much money comparatively speaking. I wonder what the weight difference between aluminum frame and solid panels would be?
Having watched the World Solar Challenge as a kid in the 80s and 90s, when these things cost upwards of a million dollars to build, it's simply mindblowing to see the price of all the components having plummeted to this point. What's your budget so far?
Solar is SO cheap now, that you can use steel framing and fat tires, instead of lighter and more efficient components, and just make up for it with MORE CHEAP PANELS. That's just awesome.
I used to look forward to reading about the race and all the vehicles in that challenge. I strictly remember one called the solar racer that smashed the record and beat everyone else by over two days. The thing was shaped like a rain drop. Super aerodynamic
Fun times
they only cost millions if you try to calculate the hours of labor. most of the materials are donated by defense contractors. ask how i know.
this has always been in the back of our heads
and you just proved it works .
now we just need revolutionary technology in the future where all this can be sized down to a small go kart and be able to ride all day long with no charge.!!!!
"Lets clean this up with angle grinder, that's what it is for anyway" is brilliant line.
Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't!
This project gives me serious The Martian vibes, where Matt Damon had to get creative with limited resources to survive. You're doing something similar but with renewable energy-pushing the limits to make infinite range a reality. It's impressive to see how you're using solar power in such an innovative way. Can't wait to see where this goes next!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that saw a bit of The Martian in this
You should start driving it on 1% battery at 10AM and see if it can continuously charge as you go. That'd be the real infinite-range test.
yeah because that's practical lol
@@AstrophageOfficial why not?
Great idea
@@AstrophageOfficial nothing about this video or this vehicle is practical. No one watching this is wondering about practical use-cases. The point is to demonstrate that the principle is possible with current technology. The way to do that is as I outlined, start with almost no battery and see if it can charge as fast as it consumes energy.
my thoughts exactly
I like the project very much, and i hope one day every car will work like that! One very small input: It seems that some washers are partially covering a little corner of the solar panels. I would try to avoid that, because a very small edge of shadow drops down the power of a panel disproportionately much.
Can’t wait for this build man hope your shoulder is doing better!
now it's your turn to make one of those solar cars get to work man😂😂
Not sure it’s getting better or I’m just getting use to it
You could double the panels on the trailer by mounting two banks in a V and possibly add additional battery(ies) to capture and store the power. But ultimately when the sun doesn’t shine or it gets dark it will stop and you’ve more or less got a vehicle that can drive all day already.
Concept is great.
What about using bifacial panels in a V diagram?
few tips to reduce friction:
try using skinny slick tires pumped up to maximum capacity
check your wheel alignment
this should give significant mileage boost considering the long distance.
Also the flexible panels are less efficient than solid from what I've heard. You could use an aluminium frame for the trailer and use the rigidity from solid panels as part of the structure so maybe look into that factor as well.
Great vid, I've always dreamed about doing this kind of build.
Solved:
1 - Pollution and global warming from burning fossil fuels
2 - Free urban mobility at minimal cost; simply adapting it to public transport vehicles.
3 - Oil cartel and gas stations.
4 - Noise pollution and traffic accidents due to speeding.
5 - Entertainment.
BRAVO!
9:34 „To save weight“, builds whole trailer out of steel… lol my dude, you funny af 😂
I was thinking the exact same thing!
Aluminum is not easy to weld. But yes much lighter
@@derekgamble7090 Wood doesn't need welding 🙃
@@niikon Wood warps sideways if you don't want it thick or add lots of supports.
I agree, sure aluminium costs more but would be 60% lighter. Unless you don't know how to or want to weld aluminum.
18:00 is starting ;)
Thanks :)
Your sense of humor is great and quite rare.
This is great. These are the kind of cars that should be getting developed by big companies and sold for mass use. And that could make them lighter, more aero, with more efficient tires, etc - so it's doable without needing a trailer or with quite little charging.
People will say "Oh it's not safe because it's so small compare to other vehicles". Well.. it's the other vehicles, roads, and laws that should change. We've went way too far down a stupid path and now we have individual people driving to work in massive 7,000 lb vehicles
Stumbled on this by chance but watched in admiration!
Well done & fair play to you sir, fair play!👍👏👏👏♥️
Some times building something, you build and build. Once you built it, it doesn’t necessarily need any other building. But you build anyway, and then what you built is great but needs a bit more building. Hope the building never stops 👍
I live down in Norfolk county not too far from this guy. I really hope I run into him sometime.
I cant wait for the next build video for this project. There's been awesome comments and I cant imagine all the ways he's going to improve this rig.
Please don't run into him, that would be awful to be hit while driving that thing. 😣
Sorry, I saw an opportunity for a dad joke and had to take it. 😂
What if you run into him with your electric car?…
I can see total off grid living with RV decked panel on all sides and a towing vehicle. A pop up style RV with light material. Could pair this up with a Tesla but off road off grid can be possible with your concept. Or even for short work distance and never having to pay for electricity to charge your car or for gas. Keep it up and keep building !