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The Immortus: A Sports Car Powered by Solar Energy

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immortus-solar-electric-car-unlimited-range@2xEVX Ventures, an Australian-based company, has created a sports car that runs entirely on solar energy.

Called the Immortus, the car contains 7 sq m, or 75 sq ft, of solar voltaic paneling. On sunny days, the vehicle is capable of travelling an unlimited distance at a speed of greater than 37 mp/h. Being a sports car, however, it is certainly capable of more. The Immortus can also reach 62 mp/h within seven seconds and has a top speed of 93 mp/h.

The battery is small, using a 10kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery. The car runs off of just 40 kW, and is designed to be as efficient as possible. The Immortus only weighs 1,212 lb, or 550 kg, meaning that the power-to-weight ratio and acceleration time are comparable to a Miata. Two DC motors, each with a 20 kW output, supply power via the uprights that lead to the rear wheel hubs.

EVX Ventures, according to CEO Barry Nguyen, is not a company that is in the business of mass manufacturing cars. Besides cars that run on solar energy, his company makes “boutique custom electric cars and aftermarket products”. They expect to sell just 100 of these models, and therefore the manufacturing process is simple and the cars are highly customizable.

The solar car is also designed to be aerodynamic and light weight. This allows it to travel a distance about 248 mi, or 400 km, when it is not being powered. Even at night, power usage is low because of the reduced rag and weight, and the tires are designed to be low-friction and low-contact. Off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubing and 3D printing reduce manufacturing time, cost, and environmental impact while the vehicle’s light weight means that it is cheaper to ship.

The project was first started by Australia’s Aurora Solar Car Team, who are competitors in solar races throughout the world.

Image (c) EVX Ventures

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1 COMMENT

  1. While 100% solar is desired, it’s not quite practical….yet. The concept of multiple DC motors is on target. The solar panels and battery concepts can be tweaked.

    Essentially, in the future, everything ‘looking up’ will/should be a collector. Just because we now let millions of sun-heated surfaces dissipate, doesn’t mean that we won’t eventually figure out how to capture that heat as energy (very small amounts at first), The batteries can work in tandem with a very small, lightweight, and relatively quiet TDI Diesel, operating 100% on VeggieDiesel fuel. This VeggieDiesel fuel should be derived from ‘dedicated’ sources either grown or recycled (i.e. a joint venture to dispose/refine McDonald’s cooking oil) since used cooking oil is usually disposed at a cost to the restaurant. Remember, the Diesel is, by it’s original design, an organic engine, converted to run fossil fuels.

    In consideration of the overall weight, a balanced VeggieDiesel fuel tank can be designed and sized to allow the TDI Diesel engine enough fuel to propel itself and it’s tank, in addition to providing ‘alternative’ energy to the tandem DC motors (possibly low-voltage DC).

    We need to move away from ALL conventional thinking. Conventional thinking was based on conventional marketing, which was in turn based on the ‘unlimited supply of oil’, not to mention the impending compromises to the earth’s crust.

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