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N0KFQ > TODAY 31.08.15 16:43l 62 Lines 2943 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 65496_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Aug 31
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 150831/1442Z 65496@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.63
1955
William Cobb demonstrates first solar-powered car
On this day in 1955, William G. Cobb of the General Motors Corp.
(GM) demonstrates his 15-inch-long "Sunmobile," the world's first
solar-powered automobile, at the General Motors Powerama auto
show held in Chicago, Illinois.
Cobb's Sunmobile introduced, however briefly, the field of
photovoltaics-the process by which the sun's rays are converted
into electricity when exposed to certain surfaces-into the
gasoline-drenched automotive industry. When sunlight hit 12
photoelectric cells made of selenium (a nonmetal substance with
conducting properties) built into the Sunmobile, an electric
current was produced that in turn powered a tiny motor. The motor
turned the vehicle's driveshaft, which was connected to its rear
axle by a pulley. Visitors to the month-long, $7 million Powerama
marveled at some 250 free exhibits spread over 1 million square
feet of space on the shores of Lake Michigan. In addition to
Cobb's futuristic mini-automobile, Powerama visitors were treated
to an impressive display of GM's diesel-fueled empire, from oil
wells and cotton gins to submarines and other military equipment.
Today, more than a half-century after Cobb debuted the Sunmobile,
a mass-produced solar car has yet to hit the market anywhere in
the world. Solar-car competitions are held worldwide, however, in
which design teams pit their sun-powered creations (also known as
photovoltaic or PV cars) against each other in road races such as
the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, a 2,400-mile drive from
Dallas, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
In early 2009, The Nikkei, a Japanese business daily, reported
that Toyota Motor Corp. was secretly developing a vehicle that
would be powered totally by solar energy. Hurt by a growing
global financial crisis and a surge in the Japanese yen relative
to other currencies, Toyota had announced in late 2008 that it
was expecting its first operating loss in 70 years. Despite hard
economic times, Toyota (which in 1997 launched the Prius, the
world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle) has no plans to
relinquish its reputation as an automotive industry leader in
green technology. The company uses solar panels to produce some
of its own electricity at its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan,
and in mid-2008 announced that it would install solar panels on
the roof of the next generation of its groundbreaking
electric-gasoline hybrid Prius cars. The panels would supply part
of the 2 to 5 kilowatts needed to power the car's air
conditioning system.
According to The Nikkei, Toyota's planned solar car is not
expected to hit the market for years. The electric vehicle will
get some of its power from solar cells on the vehicle, and will
be recharged with electricity generated from solar panels on the
roofs of car owners' homes.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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