solar losses due to heat build up are a concern of mine. in my testing, the current can nearly be cut in half due to thermal buildup. will the aptera have any kind of solar cooling to keep the current at maximum? In the vehicle design I have been working on, the plan was to use passive cooling by creating a small pocket of space between the solar and the actual roof, with a simple adjustable louver system at the front of the vehicle and a vent at the rear. thanks so much.
top of page
bottom of page
On last Wednesday's conference call, Aptera's co-CEO's and founders discussed new details of their unique active cooling system. Rather than use a traditional radiator as all other ICE and EV's use, the Aptera uses "microfluidic channels" built into much of Aptera's skin panels. They did this to remove the significant aerodynamic drag caused by traditional radiators.
This is not unlike the way animals (like us) cool themselves by expanding their capillaries in their skin when they are overheated.
These liquid filled channels are in the roof, the belly and in its side panels. So the roof panels cool the solar panels to make them more efficient, warm or cool the batteries as required, and remove excess heat through the belly and side panels.
Chris Anthony mentioned you can sometimes feel that the side of the Aptera's skin is surprising warm. Steve Fambro added that in certain weather conditions you can see the microfluidic channels form visible patterns made by frost or condensation on the skin. (How cool is that! 8-) )