Scientists in Australia are testing printed solar panels that will be used to power a Tesla on a 15,100-kilometer (9,400-mile) journey starting in September, with the hopes of getting the public to think about what they can do to help combat climate change.
The Charge around Australia project will use 18 of the team’s printed plastic solar panels, each 18 meters (59 feet) long, to power a Tesla electric car, which will be rolled out beside the vehicle to soak up sunshine when it needs to be charged.
The University of Newcastle team will be testing not only the panels’ longevity but also their potential performance in other applications, according to Paul Dastoor, the developer of the printed solar panels.
“This is actually a great test bed to offer us knowledge about how we would go about using and powering technology in other remote regions, such as space,” Dastoor said in Gosforth, north of Sydney.
Printed solar is a lightweight, laminated PET plastic that costs less than $10 per square meter to produce. The panels are printed on a commercial printer that was originally designed for wine labels.
Dastoor believes that using the panels to power a car will encourage Australians to consider electric vehicles and alleviate their “range anxiety.”
“(The) community is looking for these kinds of solutions to the difficulties it faces on a daily basis in regards to climate change,” he said.
The crew hopes to visit roughly 70 schools on their 84-day Tesla adventure to give pupils a taste of what the future may bring.
When asked if Elon Musk, the inventor of the Tesla car and the founder of Tesla Inc. would be pleased with the CAA project, Dastoor answered he hoped so.
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