Over the last decade, the number of electronic gadgets in use across the globe has risen dramatically. With the growth of the personal electronics segment, the demand for electricity is growing at an unprecedented rate. However, since the infrastructure that produces and distributes electricity, called the grid, cannot be upgraded at the same rate at which the demand for the electricity is increasing, alternative methods of electricity generation are being investigated. Since around a third of the electricity produced is lost in transmission. This additional dependence on fossil fuels too can be lessened if more sustainable methods of electricity production like solar power are made more accessible to the public.
Pollution, now days is the most scary word of all and in fact is more discussed than any other thing, as it is causing various environmental as well as health problems. Transportation is considered to be the largest cause of air pollution. Along with making the air dirty, fuel efficient cars increases our dependency on a non renewable energy source. Therefore people are coming up with different ideas to lessen and somehow finish up with usage of gasoline dependent vehicles. Keeping in mind the numerous requirements of consumers, different types of electronic vehicles are being manufactured by the car companies. Solar power, which is the energy of sun, is being considered to be a good option for producing electricity to feed the electronic vehicles. and for that various designs are planted to harness this energy of the sun and produce green electricity to run the EV’s. Five of such solar trees are discussed below:
Last year, automotive designer Pininfarinia debuted a prototype two-seater electric car, and this year it’s making the pint-size Nido EV even more environmentally friendly by creating a solar charging station to power it.
The Italian design house revealed the Antares solar charging tree last month at MoTechEco, a sustainable mobility show in Rome. The 108 sq. ft. treelike modular car charger contains 20 photovoltaic solar panels, capable of producing 4.6 kilowatts, enough to recharge two electric cars for a range of approximately 50 miles each.
Pininfarina isn’t alone in its pursuit of a tree-shaped solar charging station. Chicago-based Carbon Day Automotive installed its Solar Plug-in Station as part of the ChargePoint Network, a 2.2-kilowatt system designed to charge two vehicles at the same time. Nissan and Google have been developing solar-powered charging carports, but none with as much style as what Pininfarina designed.
Antares is part of Pininfarina’s sustainable mobility initiative, which explores ways to reduce emissions through the use of alternative, lighter, and recyclable materials. The Nido EV is constructed of carbon fiber composite materials on a modular aluminum frame, which can be used to produce an electric or hybrid 2+2, pickup, or light van.
Source: cnet