Who Killed the Electric Car?

[ForrestFrench]

I don't get why electric cars cannot be self charging.

Basic physics doesn't allow it, otherwise we'd have perpetual motion machines. It takes more power to turn a generator than it puts out, at best peimar solar are about 20% efficient, wind turbines create drag, heat, noise, drag, friction are all losses.

Electric cars will only become popular when solar technology efficiency will be increased to significant level..

[Frank]

It looks like a solar revolution may already be underway.
The 7 Reasons Why The Solar Revolution Took Off

[Steptoe]

Yep and has been for along time..
just need to look around the roofs of houses and commercial buildings here.
Even a lot of the BP service stations here are solar and dumping KW back into the grid.
Lot controversy about the quality of Chinese panels here in resent years thu.
And other little things.. like illuminated street signs, high way CCTV, other lights on panels only....security lights.
And with the efficiency of the led bulb stored solar energy becomes even cheaper... down to garden/ path lighting.
Cheaper to install, and no wires.

[storm]

Yep and has been for along time..
just need to look around the roofs of houses and commercial buildings here.
Even a lot of the BP service stations here are solar and dumping KW back into the grid.
Lot controversy about the quality of Chinese panels here in resent years thu.
And other little things.. like illuminated street signs, high way CCTV, other lights on panels only....security lights.
And with the efficiency of the led bulb stored solar energy becomes even cheaper... down to garden/ path lighting.
Cheaper to install, and no wires.

Interesting point there Steptoe.

Our government, not the current one, had a stimulus package for people who wanted to move towards solar on their homes. The market took off so the very same government, who claimed to be the saviours of the Australian environment, cut the stimulus. The obvious happened and the solar panel market in Australia collapsed and many people lost jobs because orders were cancelled.

I don't know about NZ, maybe you could clarify this for me, but in Australia not all systems can feed back into the grid. We were told when we were looking at it our wires and transformer (I live on a farm) would have to be changed and the cost would be another $20+k over and above the solar panels etc. I'd personally really like to have solar and when I build a workshop I'll install solar so I can operate a hoist and other workshop tools without having to connect to the grid.