Introduction

The Solar/Hydrogen Cell Car experiment was done to help demonstrate how renewable resources could be used to power objects. Using a solar panel, we collected energy from the sun, and then the hydrogen cell made the energy usable and then stored it until it was required. The hydrogen cell used the stored energy to power the car we made.

 

Results

Our solar/hydrogen cell car ran for about 1 minute and 31 seconds. The car was able to move 190 inches, and the hydrogen cell was only about half of the way full.

 

Building

The car was built using VEX parts to make a frame, that then had three wheels attached to it. The main goal was to make the car as lite as possible. A motor as attached to the one leading wheel, and then the motor was hooked up to a bread board. In the back we placed the hydrogen cell and then we placed the solar panel on a 3” standoff. The hydrogen cell was filled with water and then it was hooked up to the solar panel using alligator clips. Once all the water transferred to the top of the hydrogen cell, the alligator clips were removed from the solar panel and then they were clipped onto the bread board. Once the circuit was complete, the motor was powered and the car began to move.