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This may be a stupid question but given that these cars literally absorb light... do they pose a danger on the roads in terms of visibility to other motorists?
by BrissyCoder 6y ago
This may be a stupid question but given that these cars literally absorb light... do they pose a danger on the roads in terms of visibility to other motorists?
- hervature 6y agoWhat are your thoughts on black cars?
- keanebean86 6y agoNever seen one.
- senectus1 6y agosurely you jest?
- keanebean86 6y agoOh yeah it's a joke. It was such a perfect setup I couldn't resist. My grandma had a black t-top in the late 90s. Somewhat ironically, considering this comment thread, it was rear ended at a stop light during the day.
- aemreunal 6y agoHah, an interesting question and certainly not stupid at all! A quick Google search [1] suggests that a (standard?) solar panel absorbs ~2/3s of the light, so it probably reflects enough to make out the car on the road. But the question actually becomes valid and important once we discover solar panel material that can absorb even more light (think Vantablack-like absorption). Very good question! [1]: https://news.rpi.edu/luwakkey/2507 https://news.rpi.edu/luwakkey/2507, search for "absorbs 67.4 percent" on the page
- Ekaros 6y agoI wouldn't be worried at that point. Actual black blobs are very rare in nature and we would certainly notice them during periods when there is some light. Now, nights when they are parked is good example when likely good reflectors need to be mandated.
- BrissyCoder 6y agoAsked the question half in jest, half expecting some interesting answers. A cursory search suggests that darker coloured cars do indeed get in more accidents: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/nsw-country-hour/2013-08-12/dark-cars-hard-to-see/4880246#:~:text=Black%20cars%20are%20up%20to,involved%20in%20crashes%2C%20research%20shows.&text=A%2020%2Dyear%20study%20revealed,yellow%20to%20be%20the%20safest https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/nsw-country-hour/....
- Ballas 6y agoThe panels don't absorb anymore light than any body panel that is the same color (in the visible spectrum). Just less of it gets converted into heat.
- pmontra 6y agoProbably no more than any black car. They are moving, they have lights, they should be visible. Nevertheless very black materials can be stunningly dark https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack
- _ph_ 6y agoEvery car that isn't white, especially if it has a dark color, absorbs light. The visibility of this car should be like the one of any other black car.
- extrapickles 6y agoNot any more than a matte black car judging from the photos. Cars are required to have retroreflectors so night-time should not be that big of a problem. The main issue is the extra cost of this worth the 16km (10miles) in range added per day. It produces $1/day in electricity, so it needs to cost less than $2.5k for it to be cheaper than electricity. This is highly dependent on what you pay in electricity (system produces 33kw/week on average).
- antisthenes 6y ago> It produces $1/day in electricity Maybe under ideal conditions, at a very high per KWh price (25c or more). The math would only work in a very sunny place with very expensive electricity (Hawaii, perhaps?)