World Solar Challenge

[BigV]

Thank you, sir.

I will use these figures for a starting point. My initial reaction was to ZenGum's assertion that there isn't enough energy falling on a car to make it feasible. I wonder. just thinking out loud here...

Solar to electricity is one way to transmute that energy into something useable to move the vehicle. What about solar to steam? I remember posting a video about a fellow that made a parabolic mirror of about 2 m sq (well under the area a car covers) that took those 2000 watts and focused it on a single point. At that point the temperature was eleventy-kabillion degrees or close to it. Actually I think it was about 3700 deg C, PLENTY hot enough to melt steel, rocks, etc. What about using that to fire a boiler and then you can do what you like from there, run a turbine, drive the wheels, whatever.

I know Zen said normal requirements. This doesn't meet normal requirements. But there is a LOT of energy to be had. Ultimately, ALL energy sources available to us are manifestations of solar energy.