At Saturday's SolarRock 3 festival, the emphasis was definitely on utilizing solar power for homes, but a couple of vehicles were hard to miss:
This car gets a boost from the photovoltaic panel on top - giving it a range of 26 miles per day on a full battery charge. While that wouldn't get me very far into my average day as a REALTOR - it would definitely be more than adequate to get from home to the office & back.
This is a little better view of the panel used to take advantage of the day's sun to extend the range of the batteries.
22 miles on a single charge at 35-40 mph? Not bad. I don't know how much this vehicle costs, but have a sneaking suspicion is is quite a bit less than the Tesla electric sportscar's $100k price tag!
No...I haven't gone goofy on you - the bicycle isn't solar powered...but it does provide a good way to tow the trailer behind it that charges the batteries stowed conveniently in the baskets on either side of the rear wheel now doesn't it?
Specializing in Buyer & Seller Representation in the Tucson, Arizona real estate market.
All original material written by Kent Simpson unless attributed to source.©2011, 2010, 2009,2008,2007
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Kent when I first saw the photo, I thought it was a golf cart. It would probably work well for daily city driving.
Kent, that is awesome! I don't know why folks don't use golf carts and bicycles for around-town more! But I think they will in the future.
Hi Kent--I have seen a variety of "golf cart" type vehicles and they certainly don't carry the Tesla's price tag, but they do seem pricey for what they are... Many of them are certified only for "around town" driving or in your subdivision/etc.
I love the look and size of this car. Although, I am afraid my horses might knock it over and play with it. There are a few alternatives out there now for cars that can fill their own batteries through mounted solar panels.
Michael - I first saw these little GEM cars while living in Florida - thought the same thing, but don't see as many of them in Arizona. We are quite a bit more spread out in the west.
Regina - pretty nifty huh? Problem here is balancing an air-conditioned model with the range on one of these in the Arizona market. Might be a much better proposition in a more temperate climate.
Tamara - limitations, certainly...but I like the innovation and the creative thought starting to pop up. These GEM cars are street-legal in Fla & AZ, but the range keeps them pretty much for close-to-home use. I agree about the Tesla's price tag - if I'm spending $100k on a car, I don't care if I'm saving the planet!
Sabrina - what I'm enjoying is seeing ideas start to come out of the "nutty neighbor who putters around" stage and bringing innovation to the marketplace.