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Stopped off at Scotts Bluff National monument in Nebraska today for lunch and found the 2016 American Solar Challenge solar powered car race was making a stop there. The university of Michigan's car was there first and they were working on it. The pit boss told me the highly customize solar array is ~24% efficient and cost $85k with 1200w output. The car can do 55mph+ and can go all day without any grid connection for recharge. The carbon composite car weighs 600lbs with driver and cost them $700k! At one point I asked him how they could bend the cells so much to fit the aerodynamic contour of the car without breaking and he told me that most silicon cells are somewhat flexible and the reason why home cells don't flex much is because they are held rigid by the frame and glass. I'd kind of wondered how fragile they are because I've had at least one of my home panels on and off several times during installation and have been flexing it somewhat - no worries I guess. The car batteries are Lithium Ion.
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