Courtesy of Charge Around Australia
A group of scientists in Australia plans to use printed solar panels to power a Tesla Model 3 on a 9,380-mile journey around the country this fall.
The project, Charge Around Australia, was created to demonstrate the flexibility of the new technology, as well as how the portable device could enable charging in remote places. The 2-D printed solar panels were designed by a team of scientist at the University of Newcastle in Australia. The panels are thin, lightweight plastic sheets that can be made at a cost of less than $10 per square meter from a commercial printer originally used for printing wine labels.
During the journey in September, Charge Around Australia founder Stuart McBaine will carry with him a solar cell the size of a suitcase that weighs just short of 100 pounds. He will use 18 of the group's 59-feet-long panels that can be rolled up and put into the Tesla's trunk. Each day, the panels will be rolled out and used to gather energy from the sun in order to power the car.
Stefica Nicol Bikes/Reuters
McBain will embark on the journey in September. The trip around the perimeter of Australia will take about three months as he will be limited to two hours of driving per day and about six hours of charging the panels in the sunlight.
The founder will rely on charging points when needed and be followed by a support vehicle. The solar cells are not a practical use for regularly charging an electric car due to the pack's weight and the amount of time it takes to reach a full charge, but the inventor of the printed solar panels, Paul Dastoor, told Reuters that he believes the demonstration could help boost EV adoption and alleviate "range anxiety."
The panels could also become a safeguard for drivers traveling through remote areas — in particular, regions like Australia where there are only about 3,000 public chargers.
Courtesy of Charge Around America
Even though automakers have continued to extend the range of electric cars, driving-range anxiety has been identified as one of the main issues the US faces when it comes to the electrification of transportation. A 2021 study found that one in five EV owners switched back to a gas-powered car because of the hassle of charging their electric car.
Insider's Lianna Norman previously reported that rural living and road trips can pose a significant barrier to electric vehicle adoption due to a lack of charging accessibility.
