Solar Buggy
Many companies have dived into the concept of creating electrical cars which would be powered by solar energy and while the research process has been going on for years, it has actually driven many manufacturers into the ground because it is difficult to get the level of efficiency which is needed. The solar buggy however is a smaller project with greater chances of success.
One preliminary thing to understand is that a solar cell operating even on the sunniest day cannot absorb all of the sunlight. It can absorb some and convert it into power but it does need to control the current to keep the connected battery from heating up and simply exploding. This is where a charge regulator comes in which is a common component in solar powered systems.
A lot of science goes into correctly creating a buggy or even having one made. The first thing you should be concerned about are the wheels as the angles can make a great deal of difference to the amount of power that can be generated and how well the buggy will run.
How It Runs
Just like any standard small car it has a motor except that it has solar panels directly connected to the motor so that they can supply it with continuous power. A low inertia motor is used since it has the major benefit of needing very little voltage to go on. If you are expecting your buggy to run like a sports car that definitely won’t happen.
Pros
• While excessive speed cannot be expected it does run on an interesting concept and has virtually no carbon footprint and you can run errands easily everyday without compromising the environment or even spending any money on fuel.
• Solar buggies are safer and cheaper than motorcycles and a little more prestigious than bicycles for everyday use although it not recommended to travel extremely long distances in this vehicle since it does not have a backup power source per se.
Cons
• Just like every solar powered car project the marketing of solar buggies has been dodgy and misleading since they do not have the kind of ‘juice’ for which they are often advertised. They are a basic design and the solar paneling system is not a very large or dense one.
• Once the solar panels are covered with any kind of mud or soot (which is to be expected on the road) they stop functioning till they are cleaned again.
• Although solar panels are very durable on their own, in conjunction with the motor they might tend to be more fragile due to the constant exposure to heat not just from the sunlight but also the engine itself. This can create electrical problems and heating up of the engine which again poses a problem.
• There is a lot of information online regarding how to construct these buggies at home and while some people might be genuinely gifted at engineering products, if an assembly goes wrong it can be quite dangerous for the person using the buggy.