Ford's Solar Hybrid

[longknife]

Typical EV uses about 1/3KWhr per mile.. So 8KWhr for "a full day in the sunshine" is about 24 miles or 0.6 gallon of gasoline. That's OK -- but its no freaking solution.. Particularly if you cant park in direct sunshine for 6 or 8 hours a day.. Even ANGLE of incidence and partial shade will destroy that advantage.

Cute -- but I don't think it does anything to overcome the issues of range or cost. Particularly for URBAN driving..

Yeah, makes me wonder how it would do in Portland, Seattle, or other places with heavy cloud covers.

 

[RandomVariable]

There all kinds of ways the one vehicle does not solve the problem but I believe it signifies a huge milestone in the right direction. Score one for Ford.

 

[Star]

Typical EV uses about 1/3KWhr per mile.. So 8KWhr for "a full day in the sunshine" is about 24 miles or 0.6 gallon of gasoline. That's OK -- but its no freaking solution.. Particularly if you cant park in direct sunshine for 6 or 8 hours a day.. Even ANGLE of incidence and partial shade will destroy that advantage.

Cute -- but I don't think it does anything to overcome the issues of range or cost. Particularly for URBAN driving..

Yeah, makes me wonder how it would do in Portland, Seattle, or other places with heavy cloud covers.

Reading comprehension problem?
The OP article and the article below addresses your projected - read that, made up problems/issues... the Ford C-MAX Hybrid even allows carbon-suckers to continue to suck.

Ford estimates that the sun could power about 75 percent of the trips taken by the average driver, all with same range and MPGe ratings of the C-MAX Hybrid. That means a full charge will have a range of 620 miles, 21 of those miles being purely electric with no support from the gasoline engine.

In case you’re wondering what will happen if you’re in a cloudy region of the country or have a few overcast days in your forecast, there is still a charging port. Owners can still plug it into the grid if they prefer.

.

 

[flacaltenn]

Typical EV uses about 1/3KWhr per mile.. So 8KWhr for "a full day in the sunshine" is about 24 miles or 0.6 gallon of gasoline. That's OK -- but its no freaking solution.. Particularly if you cant park in direct sunshine for 6 or 8 hours a day.. Even ANGLE of incidence and partial shade will destroy that advantage.

Cute -- but I don't think it does anything to overcome the issues of range or cost. Particularly for URBAN driving..

Yeah, makes me wonder how it would do in Portland, Seattle, or other places with heavy cloud covers.

Reading comprehension problem?
The OP article and the article below addresses your projected - read that, made up problems/issues... the Ford C-MAX Hybrid even allows carbon-suckers to continue to suck.

Ford estimates that the sun could power about 75 percent of the trips taken by the average driver, all with same range and MPGe ratings of the C-MAX Hybrid. That means a full charge will have a range of 620 miles, 21 of those miles being purely electric with no support from the gasoline engine.

In case you’re wondering what will happen if you’re in a cloudy region of the country or have a few overcast days in your forecast, there is still a charging port. Owners can still plug it into the grid if they prefer.

.

There is no reading comp problem on my part. YOU might be susceptable to abuse from marketing and advertising because of math issues however...

The only problem here, is as you just pointed out, there is no REAL NEED for this feature because it will not work for folks in highly urban settings or if they live in 60% of the geography of America. IDEALLY you COULD get about 20 solar miles a day. IN REALITY, expect more like 15. Not in the big city, and in the burbs, 7 miles out and 7 miles back is not "average trip lengths. So my question to you is Star -----

How much more are you willing to PAY for this "feature???????

 

[flacaltenn]

Hey Star.. Im not really trying to destroy any new brilliant ideas.. Truly im not. Probably a Ford Cmax Hybrid is my next car... BUT

Just found a better description of this solar version concept car.. I thought the lenses they were talking about were BUILT IN to the panels (ala Solyndra) But in this article, theyy expllain the lenses are in a separate PARKING STRUCTURE !!! ! !

http://mobile.extremetech.com/#/ele...-hybrid-car-can-charge-up-without-plugging-in

A Fresnel lens is a type of compact lens originally developed for use in lighthouses that acts as a magnifying glass. If you’re picturing a canopy of breakable glass ready to rain down on your car, think again. Frensel lenses are usually made from plastics like acrylic, so they are light and durable while also being cheap to make. When parked under the Fresnel lens canopy, the C-Max Solar Energi will track the sun and roll slowly backward or forward to keep the most intense area of solar energy concentrated on the panels.

Ford says that using this system the car can gain the equivalent of a four-hour plug-in charge (about 8 kilowatts) over the course of the day.*

I only looked it up because the charging rate didnt make sense for the panel size.

so im Really Sorry for being a buzz kill. But this just went from interesting to "No Thanks".....

 

[whitehall]

If the junk worked we would all be buzzing around in them. Nuff said.

 

[Stephanie]

Wow.

Ain't that something.

Government says you gotta make it, and corporations respond not only by making it..but by going beyond.

This must have oil companies in a panic, however.

wow, you love you some government

Ford didn't need any money from YOUR DADDY government to come with this idea...they aren't like Gm.

How weird they can come up with idea's on THEIR OWN

 

[Delta4Embassy]

.
Ford To Unveil Solar Hybrid Concept Car At CES

The C-Max Solar Energi Hybrid's estimated combined fuel economy is 100 mpg

Posted: Jan 02, 2014
By: Associated Press

​

The Ford C-MAX Solar Energi Hybrid (Ford Motor Co.).

Ford plans to unveil at this month's International CES gadget show a solar-powered concept car that offers the same performance as a plug-in hybrid but without the need for a plug.

The C-Max Solar Energi Concept car uses a gasoline engine combined with a gizmo that acts like a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays on the vehicle's roof-mounted solar panels. The automaker says the vehicle's estimated combined city-highway mileage is 100 miles (160 kilometers) per gallon.

The U.S. auto maker says that by using solar power instead of an electric plug, a typical owner will reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by four metric tons.

The company says it sold about 85,000 hybrid or electric vehicles in 2013, including 6,300 units of its C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid.

The sun-ray concentrator was developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and uses what is known as a Fresnel lens, which concentrates light but can be made thinner than a conventional lens. A full day of sunshine is equivalent to a four-hour battery charge, or 8 kilowatts, Ford says.

On a full charge, it should have a range of 620 miles (997 kilometers), the same as the C-Max Energi. The concept car also comes with a plug-in port for standard electric charging.

Ford says that 75 percent of all trips made by an average driver could be powered by the sun.
After showing off the concept car at the convention in Las Vegas Jan. 7-10, Ford Motor Co. says that it will test the vehicle with institute researchers to determine if it's feasible for mass production.
.

This'll be good if they actually make them sans gas engine. The weight savings would dramatically increase the appeal as it increases the electric-powered range and efficiency.

Trouble with electric cars that 'plug-in' is the electricity still has to come from either nuclear power or coal-burning power plants. So the benefit is probably negated by the fact that coal's still getting burned, and would necessitate more coal plants or nuclear power stations.

But if you can power an electric vehicle purely from the sun, that's the best solution. Given the average driving range for commuters or shoppers, a 4 hour charge is more than sufficient to start. Get rid of the gasoline engine and that'd go up considerably.

 

[whitehall]

It's easy to sense the desperation behind posts that pretend to drool over electric cars. The radical left has a lot of political capital riding on the concept. If you take away the political implications it seems that the public is lukewarm and the technology isn't there yet. If the junk works everybody will be using it so save your emotion lefties and let it happen or not.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

If there's any political aspect to alt fuel vehicles it's only in how most politicians on both sides take money from energy companies be they oil or not. So trying to get the same level of governmental support for hybrid tech or all electric vehicles is an uphill climb. Fact remains though, we're gonna run out of oil eventually. Trying to design a new fuel vehicle and get it mass produced when everyone's stalled on the freeway is too late though. Like trying to de-ice Atlanta's freeways now instead of days ago.

 

[westwall]

If there's any political aspect to alt fuel vehicles it's only in how most politicians on both sides take money from energy companies be they oil or not. So trying to get the same level of governmental support for hybrid tech or all electric vehicles is an uphill climb. Fact remains though, we're gonna run out of oil eventually. Trying to design a new fuel vehicle and get it mass produced when everyone's stalled on the freeway is too late though. Like trying to de-ice Atlanta's freeways now instead of days ago.

We have enough oil for at least 150 years. The problem with the current research is there is no punishment for failure. The government, because the politicians are involved as investors, will throw good money after bad so that the investors don't lose their cash.

This has the effect of slowing and in some cases reversing legitimate research programs. The current EV technologies are no better than they were 25 years ago. There has been VERY little innovation because they don't need to innovate, they just need to get a politician on their board of directors and they can milk the taxpayer.

 

[flacaltenn]

If there's any political aspect to alt fuel vehicles it's only in how most politicians on both sides take money from energy companies be they oil or not. So trying to get the same level of governmental support for hybrid tech or all electric vehicles is an uphill climb. Fact remains though, we're gonna run out of oil eventually. Trying to design a new fuel vehicle and get it mass produced when everyone's stalled on the freeway is too late though. Like trying to de-ice Atlanta's freeways now instead of days ago.

There is PLENTY of natural competition in the technologies. The govt doesn't NEED to be Daddy Warbucks for Fisker or Tesla.. In FACT -- the Koreans plan to skip battery wagon vehicles entirely and go to hydrogen fuel cells. Which I think is SPECTACULAR competition.

THIS particular Ford car is a marketing gimmick and doesn't really add any solutions..
If you look at the blue diagram I posted on PG 2, you'll see the claims are based on a special "car port" with fresnel optics to get even the token 15 miles a day from a solar charge. Having to park under this structure and have the car roll itself back and forth to minimize the sun angle --- is NOT what America wants.

 

[Stephanie]

It's easy to sense the desperation behind posts that pretend to drool over electric cars. The radical left has a lot of political capital riding on the concept. If you take away the political implications it seems that the public is lukewarm and the technology isn't there yet. If the junk works everybody will be using it so save your emotion lefties and let it happen or not.

no kidding, hey their Dear Leader pushes it so they march

 

[bianco]

.
Ford To Unveil Solar Hybrid Concept Car At CES

The C-Max Solar Energi Hybrid's estimated combined fuel economy is 100 mpg

Posted: Jan 02, 2014
By: Associated Press

​

The Ford C-MAX Solar Energi Hybrid (Ford Motor Co.).

Ford plans to unveil at this month's International CES gadget show a solar-powered concept car that offers the same performance as a plug-in hybrid but without the need for a plug.

The C-Max Solar Energi Concept car uses a gasoline engine combined with a gizmo that acts like a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays on the vehicle's roof-mounted solar panels. The automaker says the vehicle's estimated combined city-highway mileage is 100 miles (160 kilometers) per gallon.

The U.S. auto maker says that by using solar power instead of an electric plug, a typical owner will reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by four metric tons.

The company says it sold about 85,000 hybrid or electric vehicles in 2013, including 6,300 units of its C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid.

The sun-ray concentrator was developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and uses what is known as a Fresnel lens, which concentrates light but can be made thinner than a conventional lens. A full day of sunshine is equivalent to a four-hour battery charge, or 8 kilowatts, Ford says.

On a full charge, it should have a range of 620 miles (997 kilometers), the same as the C-Max Energi. The concept car also comes with a plug-in port for standard electric charging.

Ford says that 75 percent of all trips made by an average driver could be powered by the sun.
After showing off the concept car at the convention in Las Vegas Jan. 7-10, Ford Motor Co. says that it will test the vehicle with institute researchers to determine if it's feasible for mass production.
.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Georgia Institute of Technology is to be congratulated.

Bet the oil companies nearly choked on their cornflakes when they read that.

Unfortunately, when they eventually go on sale in Australia I won't be buying one, because when they convert them to right hand drive they have the windscreen wiper stalk on the driver's door side where 'proper Australian cars' cars have the turn indicator stalk there.
I/we rest the gap between the large bone and smaller bone of our right elbows on the door, our hand on the wheel, and flick the turn indicator stalk with our finger/s.
In Ford Focus car the windscreen wipers come on instead of the turn lights!
It's veeeeery annoying!

Not in Toyotas.

 

[Old Rocks]

If there's any political aspect to alt fuel vehicles it's only in how most politicians on both sides take money from energy companies be they oil or not. So trying to get the same level of governmental support for hybrid tech or all electric vehicles is an uphill climb. Fact remains though, we're gonna run out of oil eventually. Trying to design a new fuel vehicle and get it mass produced when everyone's stalled on the freeway is too late though. Like trying to de-ice Atlanta's freeways now instead of days ago.

There is PLENTY of natural competition in the technologies. The govt doesn't NEED to be Daddy Warbucks for Fisker or Tesla.. In FACT -- the Koreans plan to skip battery wagon vehicles entirely and go to hydrogen fuel cells. Which I think is SPECTACULAR competition.

THIS particular Ford car is a marketing gimmick and doesn't really add any solutions..
If you look at the blue diagram I posted on PG 2, you'll see the claims are based on a special "car port" with fresnel optics to get even the token 15 miles a day from a solar charge. Having to park under this structure and have the car roll itself back and forth to minimize the sun angle --- is NOT what America wants.

Well, I guess we will see which the market chooses. Right now, the batteries seem to be winning hands down.

 

[mamooth]

We have enough oil for at least 150 years.

World total proven reserves, 1.64 trillion barrels.

World current consumption, 85 million barrels/day.

Doing the math ... 53 years. That's assuming no consumption increase.

The current EV technologies are no better than they were 25 years ago.

GM EV1, 1996. Practical range of around 50 miles. Reliability sucked. Torque, 110 foot-pounds. 3-star safety rating.

Nissan Leaf, 2013. Practical range of around 100 miles. Good reliability. Torque, 187 foot-pounds. 4-star safety rating.

 

[mamooth]

Well, I guess we will see which the market chooses. Right now, the batteries seem to be winning hands down.

The fuel cells only make sense if you make hydrogen out of natural gas, instead of using electricity to split water. Otherwise, it's

Fuel cell -- turn electricity to hydrogen, then turn hydrogen back to electricity.

Battery -- use electricity directly.

But then, if you're going to use natural gas, may as well use a natural gas combustion engine, as the bus fleets do in my city.

 

[westwall]

We have enough oil for at least 150 years.

World total proven reserves, 1.64 trillion barrels.

World current consumption, 85 million barrels/day.

Doing the math ... 53 years. That's assuming no consumption increase.

The current EV technologies are no better than they were 25 years ago.

GM EV1, 1996. Practical range of around 50 miles. Reliability sucked. Torque, 110 foot-pounds. 3-star safety rating.

Nissan Leaf, 2013. Practical range of around 100 miles. Good reliability. Torque, 187 foot-pounds. 4-star safety rating.

How about the 1909 Bailey EV? And that's oil that's already being pumped! That does not include the newly found oil shales that number a further trillion or so barrels.

"Electric cars were cleaner, quieter and easier to drive than gasoline or steam automobiles. S.R. Bailey & Company built the Bailey Electric Phaeton in Amesbury, Massachusetts from 1907-1915. The company promoted its machines as cross-country vehicles capable of driving 100 miles on full charge under ideal conditions. This was an impressive claim since most electrics of the time had a limited drive time of 20-2 miles between battery charges."


1909 Bailey Electric | Conceptcarz.com

 

[westwall]

Well, I guess we will see which the market chooses. Right now, the batteries seem to be winning hands down.

The fuel cells only make sense if you make hydrogen out of natural gas, instead of using electricity to split water. Otherwise, it's

Fuel cell -- turn electricity to hydrogen, then turn hydrogen back to electricity.

Battery -- use electricity directly.

But then, if you're going to use natural gas, may as well use a natural gas combustion engine, as the bus fleets do in my city.

Once again you think small. HFC technology will advance to the point where they can hopefully just add water and boom, you're off. For people who claim to be all about science and technology, you sure think 1880's.

 

[mamooth]

HFC technology will advance to the point where they can hopefully just add water and boom, you're off. For people who claim to be all about science and technology, you sure think 1880's.

Speaking of the 1880's, that would be when snake oil salesmen were attributing various types of magic to plain water. If you're going to invoke free endless energy from water, you may as well invoke a Mr. Fusion to power the Delorean.