Australian scientists aims to power Tesla cars with solar panels that could run on a 15,100-kilometer (9,400-mile) journey. They are hoping to make it public by September to aid in the conservation of the environment.
The project is called Charge Around Australia which aims to install 18 printed solar panels that could recharge the vehicle. Paul Dastoor, the inventor of the printed solar panels, said the University of Newcastle team would be testing not only the endurance of the panels but their potential performance for other applications.
“This is actually an ideal testbed to give us information about how we would go about using and powering technology in other remote locations, for example, in space,” Dastoor told Reuters in the town of Gosforth, north of Sydney.
“(The) community is seeking these sorts of answers to the problems it’s being presented with, day in, day out, around climate change,” he said.
He was also asked if Tesla Founder Elon Musk has said anything. CAA was “showing how our innovative technology is now combining with his developments to develop new solutions for the planet,” Dastoor said.
The printed solar panel consists of laminated PET plastic that can be made at a cost of less than $10 a square meter. These are printed using a commercial-grade printer used to print wine labels.
This would make the charging convenient for people as there are not a lot of charging stations available for the car. Many would like to join the fight to conserve the plant’s resources and avoid further damaging it, however, they are concerned that there are not enough charging points available to make traveling convenient. Unlike gas stations where it’s constantly available, the charging station is located in select places only.