A vehicle that can regenerate?

[DavidLM]

Why doesn't Telsa develop a research vehicle prototype that can regenerate the empty batteries while moving and standing still with the following:

1. Solar Panel body shell.
2. Changing heat back into electrical energy by covering all heat producing parts with Multiferroic Material & this material may also be used when constructing solar cell panels.
3. Put two elongated helical wind turbines (Archimedes Screw design)
about 4' long above the front tires so as the vehicle moves through the air the elongated helical wind turbines regenerate the empty battery.
4. Put two low friction magnetic pole electrical turbines on the rear wheels to fill the empty batteries.
5. Surplus energy could be stored in extra batteries that could be used as a power source for home, cabin, r office, and maybe even be sold back to the grid.

 

[PhatCat]

umm...the laws of physics? (1) and (2) would not produce enough energy to justify the cost. (3) and (4) would cost more energy due to resistance than the energy they would produce (see perpetual motion machines).

 

[doubleatheman]

Anything that converts kenetic energy to electrical energy when moving adds drag, and will not work, as the car works harder to move forward.

 

[ewoodrick]

1) Do a little math here. Large solar cells put out a few amps. Tesla suck up 100's of amps. With cars often parked in the shade, it just doesn't make sense.
2) That amount probably wouldn't run the radio.
3) They would increase the drag to create less power than overcoming the drag would require.
4) Again as #3
5) Check out Nissan. There's actually a LOT of issues surrounding this.

1A) Go look at the Powerwall forums and see how many cells it takes to charge a car. Basically it's a full house full.

 

[ICUDoc]

Go look at the Powerwall forums and see how many cells it takes to charge a car. Basically it's a full house full.

All good points, but this is even worse than you point out- the Powerwall is about 12kWh, the Model S is about 100! So it's a minor top-up at best.

 

[tonybelding]

Ahem. →

 

[bolosky]

I was going to point out the same things about the laws of physics. Then I saw the smilies in the post, twice. It's a joke. No need to tell the poster it won't really work.

 

[Dinoraptor101]

Why doesn't Telsa develop a research vehicle prototype that can regenerate the empty batteries while moving and standing still with the following:

1. Solar Panel body shell.
2. Changing heat back into electrical energy by covering all heat producing parts with Multiferroic Material & this material may also be used when constructing solar cell panels.
3. Put two elongated helical wind turbines (Archimedes Screw design)
about 4' long above the front tires so as the vehicle moves through the air the elongated helical wind turbines regenerate the empty battery.
4. Put two low friction magnetic pole electrical turbines on the rear wheels to fill the empty batteries.
5. Surplus energy could be stored in extra batteries that could be used as a power source for home, cabin, r office, and maybe even be sold back to the grid.

Musk is buying Ultracapacitor company that makes me think Regen break will charge those and Tesla can reuse for take off much faster while reducing battery wear . and temperature significantly

 

[Saghost]

Peak isolation with the sun directly overhead at sea level is about 1 kW per square meter. A typical car is around 2 m wide by 5 m long.

So if you could cover the entire surface of the car with panels that had perfect conversion efficiency and were perfectly perpendicular to the sunlight, at high noon you'd get 10 kW from it.

Good real world solar panels have ~20% efficiency, and you can probably cover ~60% of the car's surface without blocking windshields and the like. That's now 1.2 kW in ideal sun conditions, possibly as much as 9.6 kWh per day in a place like Arizona.

With a 200 kWh pack, it'd take three weeks of sitting in the sun not driving in that ideal environment to charge...

 

[TESJay]

Well, that's not entirely true. There is a Dutch company who is developing an electric car that can charge itself with sunlight. The company's name is Lightyear. First delivery in 2020.

 

[ICUDoc]

Well, that's not entirely true. There is a Dutch company who is developing an electric car that can charge itself with sunlight. The company's name is Lightyear. First delivery in 2020.

It pretty much IS entirely true.
Doesn't mean it's impossible, just profoundly limited

 

[BluestarE3]

From the thread title, I thought OP was referring to body panels that can heal themselves after a collision. With all the issues Tesla is experiencing with parts shortages and overbooked service centers/body shops, the ability self-repair minor damage will help ameliorate "service hell". It would tie in with their FSD and Robotaxi initiatives as well.

 

[Saghost]

Well, that's not entirely true. There is a Dutch company who is developing an electric car that can charge itself with sunlight. The company's name is Lightyear. First delivery in 2020.

What are you saying isn't true?

I just gave you rough real world numbers. Solar charging is certainly possible - but it won't cover the typical charging needs of most users.

 

[TESJay]

What are you saying isn't true?

I just gave you rough real world numbers. Solar charging is certainly possible - but it won't cover the typical charging needs of most users.

I mean it’s not impossible but, with Lightyear, it depends where you live. I think I interpreted your message in a wrong way.

 

[qdeathstar]

cold fusion seems more realistic that what the OP proposes.

 

[kavyboy]

From the thread title, I thought OP was referring to body panels that can heal themselves after a collision.

I also thought that. It is actually a better idea than what the OP suggests. Perhaps it could be made of a malleable material like adobe.

 

[J X 3]

Solar is very possible, it's about creating solar body panels that are good enough- cost, weight, looks. Ideally the body panels would actually be cheaper than normal ones, weight can make a big difference.
Doesn't have to provide all the energy required for daily use but even that is not impossible and the requirements vary. Lots of people drive 5-10 miles per day but even 40 miles under ideal conditions can be doable with a sedan like M3.
At the end of the day, if you can make it a free lunch, even half a mile per day is better than nothing. It's all about making it a free lunch. In a way, it is a lot like the solar roof tiles, don't make the cost an additive or at least minimize it.

People tend to think about it the wrong way, it takes forever to fill the battery or that it needs to satisfy all customers or fully cover the energy needs of the vehicle.
It just needs to create sufficient value so the seller can earn a buck.

 

[BluestarE3]

Solar is very possible, it's about creating solar body panels that are good enough- cost, weight, looks. Ideally the body panels would actually be cheaper than normal ones, weight can make a big difference.
Doesn't have to provide all the energy required for daily use but even that is not impossible and the requirements vary. Lots of people drive 5-10 miles per day but even 40 miles under ideal conditions can be doable with a sedan like M3.
At the end of the day, if you can make it a free lunch, even half a mile per day is better than nothing. It's all about making it a free lunch. In a way, it is a lot like the solar roof tiles, don't make the cost an additive or at least minimize it.

People tend to think about it the wrong way, it takes forever to fill the battery or that it needs to satisfy all customers or fully cover the energy needs of the vehicle.
It just needs to create sufficient value so the seller can earn a buck.

But if I have to park my car outside in full sun instead of in a garage or in a covered lot so that the solar panels can charge the car's battery incrementally, my car would get a lot hotter and I'd have to run the HVAC more to make the interior comfortable, which would likely negate any benefit offered by the solar panels.

 

[diplomat33]

There is a start up called "LightYear One" that is developing an electric car covered with solar panels. It will be able to recharge with a plug but also regenerate some of its battery from solar energy, extending the time in between regular charging stops. Not sure how good it will be since every other company that has tried this, was unable to gain any significant benefit from the solar panels.

The electric car that charges itself with sunlight | Lightyear

 

[Uncle Paul]

Some other companies have added solar panels to their vehicle. Usually just enough power generated to operate a small fan to cool the interior when parked out in the hot sun.