Australian scientists will use printed solar panels to power a Tesla on a 15,100km journey beginning in September, which they hope will get the public thinking about steps to help avert climate change, according to Reuters.
The Charge Around Australia project will power a Tesla electric car with 18 printed solar panels, each 18m long, rolling them out beside the vehicle to soak up sunlight when it needs charging.
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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 suitability for other applications.
“This is actually an ideal test bed to give us information about how we would go about using and powering technology in other remote locations, for example, in space,” Dastoor said.
Dastoor said using the panels to power a car would get Australians to think more about electric vehicles and could help ease their “range anxiety”.
“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.
On their 84-day journey, the team plans to visit about 70 schools to give students a picture of what the future may hold.
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Asked what Tesla founder Elon Musk might say about the Charge Around Australia project, Dastoor said he hoped he would be pleased.
Charge Around Australia showed how innovative technology is now combining with his developments to develop new solutions for the planet, Dastoor said.
