Tag: solar

Sunswift Eve is a solar car for everyone, maybe [w/video]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Solar

Sunswift Eve

Sydney’s University of New South Wales Sunswift team has worked on a number of solar-powered cars in the past, enough that they call themselves “Australia’s premier solar car racing team.” The team is headed in a new direction now, though, with the Eve, which dispenses with the ultra-efficient design meant to win races and instead moves a bit into “normal” car territory.

Project director Sam Paterson said in a statement that the Eve is intended to be more mainstream. “This year’s vehicle, unlike some of our previous models, has four wheels, doors and is designed to be safer and more practical. It departs from the typical spaceship design of most solar cars and looks like an actual car,” he said.

Actual performance details for the Eve are not yet available, but we expect we’ll hear more when the car is officially unveiled on August 9th. If you’re in Australia, or want to go, you can get tickets to the event through the crowdfunding site Pozible, where the team is collecting pledges to try and build the Eve. The team set a $20,000 (Australian) goal and is currently sitting at $15,390. For added geekiness, the Pozible page is full of Eve-centric memes.

The Sunswift team is made up of students from a variety of courses at UNSW (engineering, business, science and industrial design are the examples listed) and has been going since 1995. The Sunswift Eve is the team’s fifth-generation solar powered supercar.

Since the official Sunswift website loads sloooowly and causes an “unresponsive script” for some of the Autoblog team, we recommend connecting with UNSW over on their Facebook page. A short (30-second) video of the Sunswift Eve being unloaded is available below.

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Sunswift Eve is a solar car for everyone, maybe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Volt assembly plant to get largest solar array in MI

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM

Solar installation at GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant
General Motors is adding a photovoltaic array to the roof of its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. The facility’s new solar panels will help offset the energy consumed when producing Chevy Volts. GM has partnered with DTE Energy on the planned 516-kilowatt installation, which will cover 264,000 square feet on six acres of land. In addition to the solar array, further energy-saving measures like automated equipment shutdown, more efficient lighting, and upgrades to more energy-efficient assembly tools will be implemented.

DTE Energy is putting $3 million of its own money into the GM partnership as part of its SolarCurrents program. This initiative aims to install 15 megawatts of solar power systems in Southeast Michigan, and the hope is that large-scale, highly-visible projects like the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will drive more demand for renewable energy in Michigan. Press release posted after the jump.

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Chevrolet Volt assembly plant to get largest solar array in MI originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 May 2011 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pope Benedict wants… solar-powered electric Popemobile?

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Technology, Specialty, Electric

Pope Benedict XVI is quickly becoming known as the “Green Pope.” During his time at the top of the Catholic Church, His Holiness has made a point to preach sustainable energy, and he’s backed up his words with actions. In 2008, photovoltaic cells were installed on the roof of a Vatican auditorium, and in 2009, a solar cooling unit was added to the Vatican cafeteria.

The Washington Post is now reporting that Pope Benedict wants to take another step towards a greener footprint with a solar-powered Popemobile. The Vatican says that a solar Pope transporter would be a rolling tribute to the Pontiff’s message to promote sustainable energy. But while the Pope’s idea is a good one, so far there apparently are no automakers willing to take on the task.

The German firm SolarWorld, which installed the cells atop the Vatican auditorium, says it can build the Pope an electric solar car, but marketing boss Milan Nitzschke claims that a major hurdle is getting the Vatican security to sign off on such an endeavor. There are apparently concerns about a solar Popemobile having enough speed to take off if there are any security incidents. Nitzschke says that power won’t be an issue, but with a huge bulletproof dome atop a vehicle that’s bound to weigh several thousand pounds, we’re thinking range could be a problem as well.

Is a solar Popemobile possible? Of course, but it may not sport large areas of solar cells atop the Pope’s bulbous sled. It may be more practical to have an electric Popemobile with large yet portable solar cell arrays that can plug in and charge the vehicle when it isn’t on the Papal parade route.

[Source: The Washington Post | Image: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty]

Pope Benedict wants… solar-powered electric Popemobile? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi makes a push for solar

Filed under: Europe, Technology, Hatchback, Electric

Audi A1 E-Tron Charging

Audi is rolling out a new solar program for its fledgling fleet of eTron electric vehicles. The German manufacturer is planning to expand the solar panel system at its facility in Ingolstadt so that the electric vehicle’s batteries may be charged using clean, renewable energy from the sun. Audi says that by the end of the year, it hopes to cover some 80,730 square feet of the plant’s roof with new photovoltaic panels. By the end of the project, Audi says it will have nearly 205,000 square feet of its German manufacturing facility’s roof covered with the solar cells. The company says that the new installation alone should produce enough electricity to power 180 homes.

Audi plans to only use about one third of the electricity produced by its solar system directly at the plant, with the juice going to both charge the company’s eTron vehicles and assist in the manufacture of other products. The rest of the energy will likely be fed back into the surrounding power grid. Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Audi]

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Audi makes a push for solar originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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