Importance of Developing Photovoltaics-Powered Vehicles

Masafumi Yamaguchi^1*, Taizo Masuda², Takashi Nakado³, Yusuke Zushi⁴, Kenji Araki⁵, Tatsuya Takamoto⁶, Kenichi Okumura², Akinori Satou², Kazumi Yamada³, Yasuyuki Ota⁵, Kensuke Nishioka⁵, Tsutomu Tanimoto⁴, Kyotaro Nakamura¹, Ryo Ozaki¹, Nobuaki Kojima¹, Yoshio Ohshita¹

¹Toyota Technological Institute, Nagoya, Japan.
²Toyota Motor Corporation, Susono, Japan.
³Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyoota, Japan.
⁴Nissan Motor Corporation, Yokosuka, Japan.
⁵Miyazaki University, Miyazaki, Japan.
⁶Sharp Corporation, Nara, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/epe.2021.135010                

Abstract

The development of photovoltaics (PV)-powered vehicles are expected to contribute to reduce CO₂ emission of vehicles and create a clean energy society. This paper presents the impact of high-efficiency solar cell modules on reduction in CO₂ emission, charging cost reduction for electric vehicles, and reducing storage capacity of PV-powered electric vehicles. In this paper, the effects of solar cell module efficiency upon driving distance of PV-powered vehicles are also shown. Especially, the potential of Si tandem solar cells for PV-powered vehicle applications is discussed. This paper presents that the III-V/Si 3-junction solar cell modules with an efficiency of more than 37% have the potential of longer driving distance of 30 km/day average and more than 50 km/day on a clear day compared to an average 16 km/day driving by vehicles powered by 20% efficiency Si solar cell modules.

Keywords

High-Efficiency, Solar Cells, Modules, CO₂ Emission Reduction, Charging Cost Reduction, PV-Powered Vehicles

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

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