Can a thin film solar panel be used to power an electric car?

What are thin film solar panels?

We Know that a solar panel converts sun's light energy into electrical energy and this involves a branch of science called photovoltaics. Traditional solar panels are thick and cannot be bent as per our needs but scientists were able to make solar cells on a flexible base so that they can be bent to a certain extent. These thin layers with their multiple light absorbing layers can be over 300 times smaller than a traditional silicon solar panel. A thin film solar panel is thus made up of some thin solar cells which are then deposited on substances like glass, plastic or metal.

A thin film solar cell | source:Wikipedia

Cars which use solar panels for power:

There are quite a few known cares which use solar energy to power batteries and the only commercial vehicles have slow speed and limited usage. Most of them from china. There have been some advancements to make better solar panels and use them to power the cars but it seems that it is not possible with the current level of technology.

Stay with us to know why!

Pros and Cons of thin film solar panels:

Pros

1. Cheaper to produce
2. Simple to process
3. Less materials are used in manufacturing
4. They are lightweight
5. Flexible
6. Can yeild better output even in dim lighting conditions.

Cons

1. Having less efficiency
2. Large space usage
3. Difficult to install
4. Shorter life
5. Chemically less stable

The problem with solar panels

The idea might feel exciting that we can use solar panels to power the electric car but the fact is that we do not have such a technology available at current time. The solar panels we use are less efficient and cannot produce enough power to make the vehicle solely run on solar energy. The fact is that even 1kw solar panels will produce at max 6Kwh of energy per day and that energy is utilized by the vehicle to run only a distance of 50-60kms on battery charge. Thus we will have to wait for a day to travel only a 50km distance and that will be terrible. This is why we see researchers make solar cars with many solar cells deposited on them and that too are not successful for commercial usage. Moreover any scratch or damage to the solar cells will cost much for the replacement so excessive care must be taken.

Conclusion:

Solar panels that we have today are not efficient or powerful enough to be used to power an electric car. It is so that thin film solar panels are less efficient than traditional solar panels but there flexibility can prove to be an advantage for its applications in various systems. The solar panels can be used in an electric car to provide some amount of extra charge but will not prove to be of any good effect. Electric vehicles better be charged at EV stations which have faster charging and does not cost much either. In future we nay be able to produce efficient and powerful solar panels so that idea will be preserved for that day.