Development of Commercially Feasible Solar-charged Electric Vehicles

电动汽车(EVS)是减少与交通相关的温室气体排放和空气污染的领先解决方案。虽然电动汽车比传统汽车效率高得多，但它们与电力供应的碳足迹无关。因此，只有当公用事业级的电力供应脱碳时，运输部门才会脱碳。拟议项目的目标是努力实现交通部门的脱碳，方法是开发一种商业上可行的太阳能充电电动汽车，直接从太阳能获得部分日常驾驶能量，将太阳能电池无缝集成到车辆上作为可再生能源供应，并将汽车电池用于内置储能。尽管一些大型汽车制造商正在探索小型车顶太阳能电池板，但该项目提出了一种新的模式，将低成本薄膜太阳能电池直接集成到所有朝上的汽车表面(引擎盖、车顶和后备箱)的汽车钢材上，以获得对驾驶员(增加续航里程和降低充电成本)、电网(减少充电需求)和环境的显著好处。该项目将(I)开发大规模制造概念验证流程，以在钢铁上生长薄膜太阳能电池；(Ii)开发优化的电力电子架构，以最大限度地利用电池中储存的太阳能；以及(Iii)开发算法，以优化太阳能电池的电气架构设计。通用汽车加拿大公司和通用汽车公司(GM)将对必须与太阳能集成保持一致的制造工艺提供关键见解，从而为该项目做出贡献。该项目将在三个方面惠及加拿大：(I)培养在太阳能、电力电子和优化领域接受培训的高技能人才；(Ii)增加通用汽车在可持续电动汽车技术方面的竞争优势，这可以增强加拿大电动汽车生产的可持续方面(通用汽车计划将安大略省的CAMI工厂改造为生产商用电动汽车的计划，证明了通用汽车致力于将电动汽车投入道路)；以及(Iii)帮助支持加拿大太阳能电动汽车的发展，以及对司机、电网和环境的相关好处。

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a leading solution for reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. While EVs are far more efficient than conventional vehicles, they are agnostic to the carbon footprint of the electricity supply. Thus, the transportation sector will only become decarbonized when the utility-level electricity supply is decarbonized. The goal of the proposed project is to work towards decarbonizing the transportation sector by developing a commercially feasible solar-charged EV that obtains a portion of its daily driving energy directly from the sun, with solar cells seamlessly integrated onto the vehicle as the renewable energy supply, and using the automotive battery for built-in energy storage. Though some large automotive manufacturers are exploring small vehicle-rooftop solar panels, this project proposes a new paradigm with low-cost thin-film solar cells integrated directly onto the automotive steel of all upward-facing vehicle surfaces (hood, roof, and trunk) to obtain significant benefits for drivers (increased range and reduced charging costs), the electric grid (reduced charging needs), and the environment. This project will (i) develop a mass-manufacturing proof of concept process to grow thin-film solar cells on steel, (ii) develop an optimized power electronic architecture to maximize solar energy stored in the battery, and (iii) develop an algorithm to optimize the solar cell design with the electrical architecture. General Motors Canada Company and General Motors Company (GM) will contribute to the project by providing critical insight into the manufacturing processes that must be aligned with solar integration. This project will benefit Canada in three ways: (i) produce highly-skilled personnel trained in the areas of solar energy, power electronics, and optimization, (ii) increase GM's competitive advantage in sustainable EV technology, which can enhance the sustainable aspects of Canadian EV production (GM's plans to convert Ontario's CAMI plant to produce commercial EVs is a testament of GM's commitment to putting EVs on the road), and (iii) help support development of solar-charged EVs in Canada, with the associated benefits to drivers, the grid, and the environment.