Fun Fact: In 1860 a Belgian inventor patented the first gas-fired, internal combustion engine. Étienne Lenoir, from Mussy la Ville, mounted a piston-driven engine on a carriage. He proceeded to cover 11km in over 3 hours. His invention was not a commercial success however as it tended to overheat, continually seize-up and was considered impractical. He gave up on any improvements and would abandon his project.
Another fun fact: Last year in an effort to reduce harmful emissions, the city Brussels became one of the first cities in the world to ban the operation of the internal combustion engine within parts of the city. Not long after, the Belgium national government announced that it has also put into place laws to ban the use and sale of internal combustion engines by 2035.
The irony of these two “fun facts” is not lost on those of us who own and operate automobiles. There is a larger backstory here that when expanded, finds Belgium front and center. Consider….
Recently 31 cities and countries have joined Brussels and Belgium in making plans to ban the sale and/or use of the internal combustion engine. Copenhagen for example wants to end all internal combustion sales as soon as next year. Likewise, Paris, Athens, Milan and Mexico City plan to follow suit. Norway, France, Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.A. are all having similar discussions. It is safe to say that the internal combustion engine is going the way of the dinosaur. Auto manufactures are well aware of this trend as they actively pivot towards the promotion of Electric Vehicles (acronym: EVs). Experts however warn of the unintended consequents of “an overly dependent reliance on an already stressed electrical grid system”. They warn of blackouts (already common in the U.S.A.) as grid energy is barely able to keep up with today’s demand. Officials expect an 38%-50% increase in electrical demand due to the projected sales of EVs. Additionally, battery supply bottlenecks and cobalt demands have already caused some manufactures to suspend EV production. Ergo, if the future of the internal combustion driven auto looks ominous AND there are very real concerns regarding electric vehicles, where does the auto industry turn? The answer might lie in the development of solar cars. Lately, some creative cutting-edge technology is being developed with regard to solar cars — and that brings us back to Belgium. Let me explain….
A few of the already established auto manufactures (Toyota and Hyundai) have begun to develop a small solar panel “auxiliary add-on” as an extra. These are not really solar vehicles but rather meant to augment the range of what already is an electric vehicle. Other manufacturers, mostly start-ups have a different goal: to not rely on the grid but to achieve all fueling from solar panels. California’s Aperta Motors for example has developed a lightweight aerodynamic vehicle capable of handling most daily needs completely off the electrical grid. Using an array of solar roof panels, the charging system is capable of 44km worth of travel per sunny day as is typical in Southern California. (note: average commute in U.S.A is 30km per day). The 3-wheeled vehicle can achieve speeds of 60 mph and can reduce 14,000 pounds of CO2 pert year. As of this writing, Aperta’s vehicle is technically classified as a motorcycle and has not yet met certain safety requirements. Aperta has a backlog of 12,000 pre-orders.
Germany’s Sono Motors is developing a more standard type electric car that has a “grid free” range of 305km. Over 1000 integrated solar cells are embedded in the plastic body panels on the roof, the sides and the trunk. This prototype is more suitable for today’s consumer transportation needs in that it is a four wheeled, multi-passenger standard sedan. Sono’s mission statement is: “full self-sufficiency making every vehicle solar for a world without fossil fuels.”
Perhaps some of the most exciting solar car innovation comes out of the world of competitive racing. Since the first solar car race, The Tour de Sol in 1985 other races have created venues that incorporate such categories as distance, strategy, speed and engineering. The World Solar Challenge for example, challenges over 40 teams from 24 different countries to race 3,000 miles through the AustralianOutback. The Carrera Solar Challenge is a four-day event that covers 1,000 km through Chile’s Atacama Desert—a desert deemed “the highest solar energy potential on the planet.” The Sasol Solar Challenge is a South African endurance competition where teams are tasked with covering as much distance as possible in 8 days on solar energy alone. Although there are dozens of other solar challenges worldwide, this South Africa event is considered the most challenging in that instead of driving a fixed distance as fast as possible, teams must strategize for endurance.
Most solar racing teams are composed of university engineering students from around the world, who test their know-how in designing new technologies. If solar car racing between competing universities can offer a glimpse into the future world of zero emissions mobility, Belgium’s KU Leuven University racing team named Agoria, is the gold standard. The Agoria team is the current European and World Champion after winning races in Chile, Australia, and Belgium. Since 2004 the KU Leuven University Agoria team has developed solar cars that have been at the cutting edge of design, speed, endurance and engineering. Their solar car The BluePointAtlas is the ninth-generation iteration since the team first entry. The car’s unique pointed bullet shape makes this the most aerodynamic shape of any solar car ever! It can achieve speeds of 150km/hour and remarkably cover 700km without the sun. Last month at the Ford Proving Ground in Lommel, Belgium, the Agoria Solar Team set a world record for the most kilometers driven by a solar car in 12 hours. They managed to cover 1051 kms in 12 hours proving “the power of green energy”. Their newest solar car, The Blue Point Atlas convincingly broke the previous record of 934 km held by their rival The Netherlands Delft University of Technology. As of this writing the team from Leuven is preparing for the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa September 9-16th. Inarguably, the Agoria team makes a strong case that Belgian technologies are at the forefront of solar car engineering.
Winston Churchill believed that human mobility is one of the foundations for prosperity. Regarding technology he once famously said; “Mankind has gone too far and is moving too fast to stop.” From Etienne Lenoir’s early attempt at mobility, to Leuven University’s solar car successes, it is safe to say that some of the innovation started here…. in Belgium.
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