Why no Solar Cars?

Are Solar Cars figments of imagination or science thriller stuffs?

I have made a back of the hand calculation about running cars on solar power.

A gallon of gas is 115,000BTUs or 34kwh(3413 BTUs=1kWh). Running at 60mph,the car consumes gas at 3 gallons per hour. Efficiency of combustion engines is around 15% so, the energy required by a car is roughly 34*3*0.15 kwh ~ 15kwh.

The peak rate of incident solar energy ~ 1kW/sq m. The surface area for solar cells on cars ~6 feet*3 feet~1 sq m. So solar energy incident is 1kW*3600=3600kwh. So at this rate the minimum efficiency of a solar cell required is 0.42%. The current efficiency of cheap solar cells is much more than this.

This may seem surprising, but there are many assumptions in this calculation.
The actual area will be much much less.

For a realistic advanced solar cell, http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/solar/en/downloads/gepvp200_datasheet_600.pdf the peak power is 200watt with an area of 1.4 sq m or 140 w/sq m. So energy delivered by this solar cell 504 kwh/sqm

It seems that even with the current technology we can have cars running entirely on solar power. I am amazed that there are no cars as such!!!!!

PS: 1) I think apart from the solar cells, the storage of solar power is difficult which contributes to the problem

2) Rather than mounting ugly solar panels on cars. The cars can run on batteries which can be charged at solar charging stations akin to our gas pumps. The charging stations can have huge panels to harvest solar power.

3) Wind/night/rain might be a problem. But at least they can run on solar power during the day according to my analysis

Why does everything want to go to a lower energy state?

We often says everything tends to go to a lower energy state. When we say this we intuitively justify it by our own actions. :) But microscopic particles like electrons supposedly do not have intelligence, how do they 'know' there is a lower energy state? For example, lets assume a Hydrogen atom with its electron in an excited state. You will tell me that the electron will jump down to the ground state and emit limit corresponding to the energy difference. But how did the electron 'know' that there was a lower energy state? Solving Schrodinger equation for the excited electron will give you that the electron will stay in its excited state for eternity. So what is the catch?

NB: People who know many body theory will probably tell me that the electron and photon comprise a system and there is no concept of 'knowing'. But lets consider an isolated box containing the excited hydrogen atom only. Now how can the electron and photon be a system?

Why does entropy of the universe increase?

According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy of an isolated system goes on increasing until it is in equilibrium. We often say that a consequence of this is that the entropy of the universe increases in any truly irreversible process. Now that means that the universe is in non-equilibrium. Assuming the universe to be an isolated system, it is intriguing as to why it should be in non-equilibrium? Hadn't the universe achieved equilibrium before the Big Bang? If the Big bang was totally an internal process, then the entropy couldn't have changed due to that. To cut long story short I am wondering as to why the universe is out of equilibrium? In terms of device theory the universe seems to be like a device connected only to source but no drain and yet far from equilibrium.

NB: I have little knowledge of cosmology. This might be a silly question. Enlighten me. [:)]

Uncertainty principle-can it be violated?

Does the topic seem unusual. Well I have had this doubt for years. Does Heisenberg's uncertainty principle depend on the frame of reference? Any book on Quantum mechanics will tell you NO. Now think about this. Think about the electron frame of reference. Or a frame of reference moving with the electron. To make the visual picture clear, imagine that the electron is a cute blonde driving alone in a convertible. You are stalking her in your dilapidated truck..Now you know almost exactly the position and momentum of the convertible. Or if you are lucky enuff to sit beside the blonde, you can perceive the position and momentum of the convertible absolutely....Where is the uncertainty????? I think I am wrong somewhere...Help me... [:)]

What is Charge?

I often wonder what is charge? We say that the charge on an electron is q. And we assume the electron to be fundamental unit of charge. But what is charge physically? Is the whole premise of charge on an electron just a way to beguile ourselves that we understand the mysterious force between two electrons that is 10^42 times stronger than the gravitational force?

Debate with me or make me understand.