Everything you need to know about solar-powered cars
A mass-produced solar car has yet to hit the market anywhere in the world
What is a solar vehicle?
Firstly, when we talk about solar vehicles, it’s vital to get the classification right.
They can run smoothly at night or in the absence of direct sunlight as they can use their panels to store solar energy in their batteries.
Erm, so how do solar panels on cars work?
Let’s make it easy.
Solar panels contain photovoltaic (PV) cells. These PV cells take light, or photons, and convert it to solar electricity. When sunlight hits the solar panel, PV cells produce direct current (DC) electricity.
The electricity from this process is converted to the standard voltage by a controller, then stored in the battery.
What are the advantages of solar-powered cars?
Ok, tell me the bad news
How is solar energy integrated into sEVs?
Solar car roofs have been around for a while. They are available as optional extras for cars such as:
Sonata Hybrid: According to Hyundai, the Sonata Hybrid solar panels can generate enough electricity to charge 30 to 60% of a car’s battery with 6 hours of daily charging. This adds around an extra 1,300 km annually.
Toyota Prius: In Japan, theToyotaPrius Prime is available with a solar roof to add up to 6 km of driving range per day. However, this tech is unavailable in the US as the materials used do not pass US rollover tests.
Nissan Leaf: The company released its first solar roofed car in 2010 — well ahead of the pack. But most of the company’s focus has been on increasing the battery capabilities and creating solar for buildings, so any real innovation on the solar roof has been, at best, an afterthought.
There is also thesolar-power tonneau. Solar panels collect the sun’s rays and stores them in a high-capacity battery pack. Stored energy is accessible via a built-in AC/DC inverter, extending the electric vehicle range as it drives.
While there are a bunch of solar-powered race cars created by engineering students that travel for long distances in sunny spots of Australia and California, an example is theWorld Solar Challenge.
Unfortunately, this has failed to translate to functional startups, as we’ve seen with other competitive innovations like thehyperloop.
Then, there are the startups. And their efforts make the OEMs look positively piss-weak.
Lightyearwas founded in 2016 and hails from the Netherlands. It’s raised $100 million in funding.
They’re currently working on a vehicle retailing at $175,000, with the hope for a price drop as they scale.
German companySono Motorsis creating the Sion. The company was founded in 2016 and has raised over $126 million in funding.
An old idea with many missed opportunities
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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Solar car roofs
Solar car roofs have been around for a while. They are available as optional extras for cars such as:
Sonata Hybrid: According to Hyundai, the Sonata Hybrid solar panels can generate enough electricity to charge 30 to 60% of a car’s battery with 6 hours of daily charging. This adds around an extra 1,300 km annually.
Toyota Prius: In Japan, theToyotaPrius Prime is available with a solar roof to add up to 6 km of driving range per day. However, this tech is unavailable in the US as the materials used do not pass US rollover tests.
Nissan Leaf: The company released its first solar roofed car in 2010 — well ahead of the pack. But most of the company’s focus has been on increasing the battery capabilities and creating solar for buildings, so any real innovation on the solar roof has been, at best, an afterthought.
Solar power tonneau
There is also thesolar-power tonneau. Solar panels collect the sun’s rays and stores them in a high-capacity battery pack. Stored energy is accessible via a built-in AC/DC inverter, extending the electric vehicle range as it drives.
Race cars
While there are a bunch of solar-powered race cars created by engineering students that travel for long distances in sunny spots of Australia and California, an example is theWorld Solar Challenge.
Unfortunately, this has failed to translate to functional startups, as we’ve seen with other competitive innovations like thehyperloop.
The startups
Then, there are the startups. And their efforts make the OEMs look positively piss-weak.
Lightyearwas founded in 2016 and hails from the Netherlands. It’s raised $100 million in funding.
They’re currently working on a vehicle retailing at $175,000, with the hope for a price drop as they scale.
German companySono Motorsis creating the Sion. The company was founded in 2016 and has raised over $126 million in funding.
