A solar car is a vehicle powered by energy produced by sunlight. Solar cars run on solar energy. Therefore, they do not require any diesel or other fuel to start. The sunlight we receive is stored on a panel that can be used later. That’s why it is called “solar energy”. A Solar car charges the battery using sunlight and solar panels. It can be used for transport. Most solar cars are designed for solar car racing. A solar car depends on a solar panel that uses a photovoltaic (PV) cell that converts sunlight into electricity.
When the sun’s rays hit the photovoltaic cell, the electrons get excited and start to flow. It generates an electric current. Photovoltaic cells are made up of semiconductor material.
Required Materials:
The materials needed to make the solar car are:
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Solar panel
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DC motor
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Motor support
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Four wheels
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Straw
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Hot glue
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Welding machine
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Craft knife
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Cardboard
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Steel wire
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Tubes
Steps to Making a Solar Car
Here’s how to do a small solar car project at home.
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First, it connects the most crucial part of the vehicle that controls the wheels of the car, which is a DC motor. Solder the leads of the DC motor directly to the wheels of the car like a gear.
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After that, take the cardboard and cut it well in the shape of a rectangle.
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Now glue the tubes on the cardboard with the glue stick that we cut.
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A small space is created on the box for the equipment.
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The wheel with the attached gear is now inserted into the tube. After that, the wheels are linked to the shaft.
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Now adjust the wheels, shaft and motor.
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The final step is to connect a solar panel to the top of the cardboard utilising glue so that it does not fall.
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Then connect the solar panel through the DC motor using solder.
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Note that the solar panel must be kept in an oblique position.
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Then take the solar car to a sunny place so that it can absorb the sunlight.
Working of Solar Car
When the solar car project is ready, take it to a place where there is a lot of sun. Place the car on a level surface and make sure that the solar panel is exposed to the sun. After absorbing sunlight, the car will start to run.
We can also explore the interior of our homes by replacing sunlight with a high wattage bulb. We can predict a result (which will be the exact same as followed by sunlight).
In this solar car project, we will learn how solar panels, DC motors work. So, we can do other projects with their help.
Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Car
Advantages
A solar car is an eco-friendly vehicle because it has zero emission levels. They do not burn fuels. The motors generate electricity that does not emit any toxic gases or produce any pollution in the environment.
The solar car makes less noise pollution when compared to the vehicles powered by conventional fuel.
Solar car vehicle has no fuel cost and it requires a low cost for maintenance.
Since the solar car is made of light-weighted components, the car runs faster and smoothly as compared to normal vehicles.
In the solar car, solar panels derive the energy from the sunlight/bright bulbs and store them. This stored energy can be used in the future as well.
Disadvantages
The solar panels or the photovoltaic cell can only convert 20-30% of the sunlight into electricity depending upon the material that has been used.
The solar car does not have driver safety features and any other equipment like headlights, rearview mirror, etc.
The solar car requires a large surface area to mount the solar panels.
This is all about how you can make a solar-powered car for a brilliant science project. Just follow the steps and arrange all the requirements. By doing this project, learn how solar cars operate and how this concept can be an excellent way to replace fossil fuels in the future.