Photo by Solar Electric Vehicle Company
Instead of loading your farm truck with costly gas to transport your veggies and fruits to your farmers’ market, park your vehicle in the sun and let it charge while you sell your produce.
In November 2009, the Solar Electric Vehicle Company helped launch a solar electric mobile farm stand based on its 14-passenger shuttle. The mobile farm stand was designed specifically to be used by the city or hobby farmer to help sell or transport produce with zero gas and zero emissions.
The company created the solar-powered farm stand as an eco-friendly solution to sell local produce.
“We have solar electric vehicles that are used for college campuses—why not use our technology to help farmers?” says Bob Kopach, SEVC’s executive vice president. “My dream would be for an urban farmer to be able to go from their urban-location farm and drive down restaurant row in various cities so shop owners and chefs can come out and pick up their produce right there.”
While the mobile farm stand relies primarily on battery to operate—they can be plugged in overnight and are ready to go the next morning—the sun provides supplemental power throughout the day.
The sun’s rays are channeled into useable energy by the two solar panels on top of the farm stand. Solar power increases the range of the vehicle charges up to 33 percent and extends the battery life by giving the battery a continuous charge. For example, if a normal set of batteries last three years, the addition of solar power could extend the battery life an additional two years or more.
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