Solar Cannonball Continues At A Record Snail’s Pace

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In a previous article, I lined the story of Joe Kliewer, a person on a mission to set an automotive document. Whereas most individuals purpose for velocity in a Cannonball try, Joe is as an alternative aiming to be the primary to go from New York Metropolis to the Los Angeles Metro powered by nothing however the solar.

So far as I do know, the primary documented “Cannonball Solar” effort concerned the creation of a customized photo voltaic automotive resembling these usually seen in college photo voltaic automotive competitions. Sadly, their try got here to a halt in the course of the summer time of 2021 resulting from mechanical and digital failures. The automobile got here to a cease in Indiana, nonetheless greater than 2,000 miles away from the end line. So, a Photo voltaic Cannonball document has not been set but, at any velocity.

As a substitute of setting up a college science vessel, Joe opted to make use of one thing much more regular: a Tesla Mannequin Y. Whereas the earlier workforce struggled to finish the duty, Joe appears fairly prone to end it, albeit at a slower tempo than a automobile constructed from the bottom up to do that. To energy his journey, he put in a 5 kWh battery pack within the trunk, which he costs utilizing 6.4 kilowatts of transportable and light-weight photo voltaic panels. This 5 kWh buffer pack then provides the Mannequin Y with vitality by way of an everyday transportable EVSE.

He initially figured the journey would take about 20 days, primarily based on some simple arithmetic. If the Mannequin Y might go round 300 miles (pushed fastidiously), then a journey of round 3,000 miles might be executed in ten steps. With a battery capability of round 80 kWh, and round 6.4 kW of solar energy, he figured it will take round 12-13 hours of fine solar to cost the automotive. Below preferrred situations, a day’s price of solar would nearly cowl that, so two days ought to give room for inefficiencies, proper?

However when charging takes greater than two days, the journey can get very lengthy. On his first charging cease, he camped at Shenandoah Nationwide Park for a number of days. Clouds, rain, and different points meant that in these 5 days, his transportable photo voltaic setup solely charged the automotive to about 60%. Going through continued unhealthy situations, he determined to go forward and transfer on to a state park in Virginia.

For the second leg, he used some spreadsheets, Google Earth’s elevation profile instrument, and different instruments he got here up with to plan a 200-mile journey on that 60% of battery. He did point out that he desires to finally use A Higher Routeplanner, however trusts his personal spreadsheets extra now.

Like the primary leg, he went at evening to not drive throughout time that might be used for photo voltaic charging. The journey was accomplished at 3 AM, and the campsite appeared like a ghost city. Fall tenting isn’t in style in lots of locations, it appears.

Throughout this most up-to-date video, he somewhat insightfully defined that his journey is extra just like the early expeditions throughout america than newer speed-based Cannonballs. For him and what he’s doing, merely finishing the journey units a document, and getting it executed in any respect is an actual feat all by itself.

His greatest problem this time was to get the entire panels arrange in such a manner as to maximise output. The video goes into larger element, however it took him plenty of pondering and experimenting to get his photo voltaic output as much as most with the cabling he had readily available.

As with the primary cease, it took him days to cost, and the one factor he might do was discover the park. He charged for 5 days, however managed to get to 99% this time, enabling a full cost for the following leg of the journey.

Sadly, this video is new, however depicts issues that occurred greater than ten days in the past. Thus far, I haven’t been capable of finding any up to date data of social media feeds with extra details about how his journey goes. If every part went rather well, he might be so far as Arkansas or Oklahoma by now. I’ll preserve reaching out to see what particulars I can get and possibly do an interview when he passes by way of my space.

Some Ideas On This

First off, I’d think about that the previous few legs of the journey are going to go so much nicer than the primary few. In spite of everything, the sunny southwest portion of america is thought for its ample solar energy and minimal cloudy climate. Even so, the journey appears prefer it might take as much as two months all in all.

Whereas two months is a extremely very long time for a visit throughout america, I believe one thing actually cool is confirmed right here, even when some idiot on Facebook tried to use this as “evidence” that the “scam” of renewables had been revealed to the general public (be at liberty to go inform that man what you assume). In spite of everything, this isn’t an experiment in any type of sensible clear transportation. No person of their proper thoughts, and most of the people not of their proper thoughts would even do that. It’s simply too impractical for something however a record-setting run or as is claimed on-line, “…for science.”

However, not all sensible issues we take as a right right this moment began as sensible issues. The primary vehicles took months to cross america, and there have been no planes. Trains have been the quickest manner in these days, however just some a long time earlier than that, trains merely couldn’t cross the continent (this modified on Could 10, 1869 with the driving of the “Golden Spike” in Utah). Earlier than that, it was both a visit by foot, horse, or ox-pulled wagon or a visit round South America by boat, and each of those choices concerned a critical danger of loss of life.

However, right this moment, after early adventurers and entrepreneurs proved it out, all of those modes of transport are viable. Vehicles can cross in as little as a day (if one is nice sufficient at avoiding cops). Trains can cross alongside a number of routes. Boats can take a shortcut by way of the Panama Canal, and are so much safer than nineteenth century crusing vessels.

Joe isn’t doing one thing that’s helpful right this moment, however proving that the continent will be crossed with out infrastructure or fossil fuels can result in higher issues sooner or later.

Featured picture: a screenshot from Joe Kliewer’s YouTube Channel.

 


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