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Comparing Electric and Solar Powered Model Cars
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Presenter Information(s)
Ameen Khan
Project Category
Jr - Engineering & Materials Sciences
Project Number
JR-ENG-006
Young Changemaker Award
Ameen Khan
Crescent View Academy
9 February 2024
Changemaker Essay for Comparing Electric and Solar Powered Model Cars
My science fair project compared the speeds of an electric car and a solar car by using models. I assembled models of two cars. I powered one car with AA alkaline batteries and the other with a solar power bank. As I hypothesized, the battery-powered car drove faster than the solar powered car because it had more watt-hour supply and weighed less than the solar powered car.
This project could be the start of many discoveries regarding the use of solar energy to power cars, and how good a solar car’s performance can be. With modern-day technology, attaching large solar panels to a normal car would make the car heavy and slow. Solar panels also take exceedingly long to charge. Energy efficiency is not the only matter that should be considered when designing a solar car in real life. Engineers should make a design that is efficient regarding energy and performance. Using a renewable energy source, such as the sun, will benefit the environment unlike gasoline, which is nonrenewable and causes air pollution, or even electric cars, because the charging source is most likely from a natural gas power plant, which also produces air pollution and is a nonrenewable fossil fuel.
Abstract or Description
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to drive a solar car? Is it reasonable to buy a solar car to protect the environment? Electric vehicles have become widely available to the public. However, solar vehicles are not yet available to the public. Electric vehicles are an environmentally friendly option. Solar vehicles, in theory, can use an unlimited supply of solar energy. I wanted to know how electric and solar cars compare.
In this project, I built wooden models of two cars; a battery-powered car and a solar powered car. I then tested them on the floor and used a speedometer to see which car went faster and had an overall higher top speed.
My hypothesis was proven correct. The battery-powered car went faster than the solar powered car.