Windsor On, Jan 07 2013 – Unconquered Sun Solar Technologies Inc. has received the green light on government funding for an exciting new R&D collaboration with The University of Windsor aimed at optimizing Unconquered Sun’s already popular Solar Fueled Electric Vehicle Powertrain technology.
This technology is quickly gaining traction with major automotive manufacturers such as Ford Motor Co. who are scheduled to unveil the C-MAX Solar Energi Concept car this month. Unconquered Sun already lays claim to a U.S. patent application for the technology, filed in June of 2012.
Program partners for the project include Ontario Centres of Excellence, Connect Canada, The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and The National Research Council of Canada. Three University of Windsor PhD students, a Masters student, and a senior undergraduate will be working on the project under Dr. Narayan Kar – an associate Professor at UWin and Canada Research Chair in Electrified Transportation Systems.
The research will focus on optimizing the performance and aesthetics of USST’s Electric vehicle Solar Roof, with an end goal of ultimately eliminating the range anxiety associated with EVs and mitigating fuel costs for existing hybrid vehicles – such as The City of Windsor’s diesel/ electric hybrid bus fleet.
Unconquered Sun is also in the process of obtaining Low Speed Vehicle safety compliance certification from Transport Canada, so that the company’s line up of Solar Powered Electric Vehicles and People movers may be insured and driven on public roads within Canada and The United states.
Unconquered Sun has identified an immediate Low Speed vehicle market comprised of cost conscious urban commuters, municipal fleets with or without CO2 reduction targets, and City transit authorities.
“This is further validation of the technology we are capable of producing right here in Windsor/ Essex. Collaboration with UWin on the EV stuff is something we have been after for a while, we need to facilitate more of a ‘Stanford/ Palo Alto’ relationship between manufacturing and our University. Windsor/ Essex truly has the potential to be the silicon valley of renewable technologies.” – Sean Moore, Founder and CEO, Unconquered Sun
Recent studies by Pike research indicate unprecedented growth in Low Speed EV sales from 37,000 units sold annually to 55,000 units sold annually by 2017, reaching total of almost 700,000 LSVs on the road. According to reports North America will account for 45% of annual sales. The low Speed EV market is estimated at $2.64B over next 4 yrs.
