See the Impact for Yourself
Adjust the trip parameters below and hit calculate.
CO₂ reduction vs. gasoline car
—
calculating...
☀️
Solar Car · CO₂ Emitted
—
kg CO₂
Indirect only, from grid-supplemented charging
🚗
Gasoline Car · CO₂ Emitted
—
kg CO₂
Direct tailpipe combustion emissions at 30 MPG
Real-world impact equivalents
⛽
—
litres of gasoline not burned
saved by choosing the solar car
How we calculated this
distance ÷ 30 MPG × 3.785 L/gal
Fuel a 30 MPG gasoline car would consume over the same distance.
🌳
—
trees needed to absorb the gasoline car's emissions
vs. 0 trees needed for solar car
How we calculated this
gasoline CO₂ ÷ 21 kg/tree/year
A mature tree absorbs roughly 21 kg of CO₂ per year.
💨
—
kg CO₂ prevented from entering the atmosphere
on this single trip
How we calculated this
gasoline CO₂ − solar CO₂
Gasoline: 8.887 kg CO₂/gallon (EPA). Solar: only from grid-supplemented charging.
🍔
—
Big Macs worth of energy the gasoline car burned
580 calories each, not exactly fuel-efficient
How we calculated this
gasoline kWh ÷ (580 cal × 0.001163)
1 food calorie = 0.001163 kWh. A Big Mac has ~580 kcal.
⚡
—
kWh generated by solar panels on this trip
clean, renewable, zero-emission
How we calculated this
749 W × MPPT eff × battery eff × trip hours
Array power from engineering spreadsheet. MPPT: 97%, battery round-trip: 90.25%.
🌍
—
times more energy-efficient per km
solar car vs. gasoline car drivetrain
How we calculated this
gasoline kWh ÷ solar kWh
Gasoline engines waste ~75% of fuel as heat. The solar car converts energy far more directly.
✈️
—
Vancouver → LA flights offset by choosing the solar car
~90 kg CO₂ per passenger, one way
How we calculated this
CO₂ saved ÷ 90 kg/flight
A YVR→LAX flight emits roughly 90 kg CO₂ per passenger including radiative forcing.
🍵
—
cups of tea you could brew with the solar energy generated
~0.04 kWh to boil one cup
How we calculated this
solar kWh ÷ 0.04 kWh/cup
Boiling 250 ml of water in a kettle takes roughly 0.04 kWh.
🌉
—
cars removed from the Lions Gate Bridge for a full day
~4.5 kg CO₂ per car per day on that corridor
How we calculated this
CO₂ saved ÷ 4.5 kg/car/day
Average Metro Vancouver commuter emits ~4.5 kg CO₂/day on the Lions Gate corridor (avg 22 km round trip, 25 MPG).
Energy source breakdown · this trip
Solar (on-panel generation)
—
Gasoline car · combustion
—
Full metric comparison
Solar Car
Brightside's engineering constants: array power, drag, rolling resistance, mass
Gasoline Car
EPA baseline of 30 MPG and 8.887 kg CO₂/gallon scaled to trip distance
Electric Car
Tesla Model 3 at 14.1 kWh/100km on BC's grid (15 gCO₂/kWh, BC Hydro 2023)
| Metric |
☀ Solar Car |
⚡ Electric Car |
🚗 Gasoline Car |
| CO₂ emitted (kg) |
— |
— |
— |
| Energy consumed (kWh) |
— |
— |
— |
| CO₂ per km (g/km) |
— CLEANEST |
— |
— |
| Energy per km (Wh/km) |
— |
— |
— |
| Renewable energy % |
— |
97% |
0% |
| Fuel cost (USD, est.) |
— |
— |
— |
A bigger picture
What if Vancouver switched?
Metro Vancouver sees roughly 1.2 million car trips every day. If every one of those trips were made in a solar car with Brightside's efficiency, the region would prevent an estimated — tonnes of CO₂ per year, the equivalent of taking — cars off the road permanently.
—
tonnes CO₂ prevented
every single day
—
tonnes CO₂ prevented
per year
Based on 1.2M daily Metro Vancouver car trips at the efficiency of Brightside's engineering model, compared to the regional average of 25 MPG. BC grid carbon intensity: 15 gCO₂/kWh (BC Hydro, 2023).
Array Power
749.04 W
MPPT Efficiency
97%
Battery Round-trip
90.25% (0.95 × 0.95)
Vehicle Mass
350 kg
Frontal Area
1.1853 m²
Drag Coefficient
0.1166
Rolling Resistance
0.0234
Gasoline Baseline
30 MPG · 8.887 kg CO₂/gal
