Eco Factor: Zero-emission Audi TT runs on electricity, harnesses solar energy.
Originally a not-so-green car, Audi TT has been given a green makeover by members of the Georgia Tech Solar Jackets. The student team has modded the car to run on an electric drive, without making the car lose its all-wheel drive system. The all-electric car carries a thin layer of thin-film photovoltaic laminate that runs the car’s windows, stereo, power brakes, steering and the lighting.
All additional power from the car’s solar harnessing system is used to top up its 120V battery pack charged with a conventional wall socket, which fuels the TT’s 62KW motor that provides 200ft-pounds of torque. The on-board battery is able to power the vehicle for 70 miles, which obviously is extended by the solar panels. With no stopping here, the team plans to extend the car’s range to 140 miles using a lithium-ion battery later this summer.
Other than the Audi TT, the team is also planning to develop a racer powered entirely by solar energy, which could be used in the 2010 Solar Car World Championship and the 2011 World Solar Car Derby.
Via: Autopia
