They covered the car, including the back window, in triple-junction solar cells. Last I heard, those were made of expensive stuff like indium gallium arsenide junctions. They were popular on satellites because they do really really well outside of atmosphere and much worse in shaded and indirect light conditions than silicon.
I'd like to know how much those cells really cost and how much power is left when you can see out the back window again. 860W sounds like a high number. Fancy 30+% triple junction solar cells cost something like $200-$300 per _watt_ years ago. As a result, those solar panels might be worth more than the car itself! Even if they've got the fancy ones down to $50/watt, that's still $43000 in solar cells. Sure they've got grandiose claims about how little they'll cost in the future, but I'd like to know about today.
This is same bunk as hearing they've made a new crazy high efficiency solar cell, but it can't be manufactured outside a lab with a mountain of grad students doing the work. Sounds cool, but it won't come to market any time soon.
I will literally believe somebody has successfully commercialized triple junction GaAs cells, when I can pull out my Visa card and order a pallet of 20 assembled modules from a distributor. As I can do now for 54, 60 and 72 cell panels built from high quality 156mm monocrystalline Si cells.
Until then I think triple junction GaAs is going to see the most use in experimental UAVs funded by research money, and satellites.
I'd like to know how much those cells really cost and how much power is left when you can see out the back window again. 860W sounds like a high number. Fancy 30+% triple junction solar cells cost something like $200-$300 per _watt_ years ago. As a result, those solar panels might be worth more than the car itself! Even if they've got the fancy ones down to $50/watt, that's still $43000 in solar cells. Sure they've got grandiose claims about how little they'll cost in the future, but I'd like to know about today.
This is same bunk as hearing they've made a new crazy high efficiency solar cell, but it can't be manufactured outside a lab with a mountain of grad students doing the work. Sounds cool, but it won't come to market any time soon.