TOMORROW’S WORLD
CARS
GALAXY
BY: MALEK SHERIF 5B
1
CARS TODAY PART 1
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A car (or automobile) is a wheeled motor vehicle that is used for transportation. Most
definitions of cars say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have
four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
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The year 1886 is regarded as the birth year of the car, when German inventor Carl
Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Cars became widely available during the
20th century. One of the first cars affordable by the masses was the 1908 Model T, an
American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in
the US, where they replaced animal-drawn carriages and carts.[6] In Europe and other
parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War
II. The car is considered an essential part of the developed economy.
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Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lights.
Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles,
making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras, air
conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the
early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fuelled by
the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history of
the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to
buy than gasoline cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuels to electric cars
features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios. such as Project
Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate change.
2
CARS TODAY PART 2
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There are costs and benefits to car use. The costs to the individual include
acquiring the vehicle, interest payments (if the car is financed), repairs
and maintenance, fuel, depreciation, driving time, parking fees, taxes,
and insurance. The costs to society include maintaining roads, land
use, road congestion, air pollution, public health, healthcare, and disposing
of the vehicle at the end of its life. Traffic collisions are the largest cause of
injury-related deaths worldwide.
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Personal benefits include on-demand transportation, mobility,
independence, and convenience. Societal benefits include economic
benefits, such as job and wealth creation from the automotive industry,
transportation provision, societal well-being from leisure and travel
opportunities, and revenue generation from taxes. People's ability to move
flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for the nature of
societies. There are around one billion cars in use worldwide. Car usage is
increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialized
countries.
3
CARS ON FUTURE PART 1
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A solar car is a solar vehicle for use on public roads or race tracks. Solar
vehicles are electric vehicles that use self-contained solar cells to power
themselves fully or partially from sunlight. Solar vehicles typically contain
a rechargeable battery to help regulate and store the energy from the solar
cells and from regenerative braking. Some solar cars can be plugged into
external power sources to supplement the power of sunlight used to charge
their battery.
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Solar cars combine technology typically used in
the aerospace, bicycle, alternative energy and automotive industries. The
design of solar vehicles always emphasizes energy efficiency to make
maximum use of the limited amount of energy they can receive from
sunlight. Most solar cars have been built for the purpose of solar car races.
However several prototypes of solar cars designed for use on public roads
have been designed and built. There are various solar car competitions
around the world that are generally partaken by collegiate and company
teams. The most notable competitions is the World Solar Challenge, which
is an international competition that takes place in Australia.
CARS ON FUTURE PART 2
4
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The solar array can be mounted in six ways:
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horizontal. This most common arrangement gives most overall power during most of
the day in low latitudes or higher latitude summers and offers little interaction with the
wind. Horizontal arrays can be integrated or be in the form of a free canopy.
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vertical. This arrangement is sometimes found in free standing or integrated sails to
harness wind energy. Useful solar power is limited to mornings, evenings, or winters
and when the vehicle is pointing in the right direction.
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adjustable. Free solar arrays can often be tilted around the axis of travel in order to
increase power when the sun is low and well to the side. An alternative is to tilt the
whole vehicle when parked. Two-axis adjustment is only found on marine vehicles,
where the aerodynamic resistance is of less importance than with road vehicles.
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integrated. Some vehicles cover every available surface with solar cells. Some of the
cells will be at an optimal angle whereas others will be shaded.
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trailer. Solar trailers are especially useful for retrofitting existing vehicles with little
stability, e.g. bicycles. Some trailers also include the batteries and others also the drive
motor.
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remote. By mounting the solar array at a stationary location instead of the vehicle,
power can be maximised and resistance minimized. The virtual grid-connection
however involves more electrical losses than with true solar vehicles and the battery
must be larger.