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Paris: Solar panels are also starting to invade the rooftops of vehicles after buildings, as a number of start-ups, as well as giant car manufacturers, are adopting them to provide energy in their new electric cars.
Under the blazing sun in northern Spain, the “0”, the first model made by start-up Lightyear, stores solar energy that allows it to travel more than seventy kilometers a day, as its hood and roof are like five-meter solar panels. square.
The manufacturers of this vehicle, young Dutch engineers, won several competitions focused on solar energy in the Australian desert. They are trying to apply this technology to all types of cars, taking advantage of the low prices of photovoltaic panels and batteries.
The vehicle consumes less energy than the electric SUVs that dominate the market, thanks to its aerodynamic structure and wheel-mounted engines, which would also make it solar-powered for a distance of 635 kilometres.
“We are running out of time and we have to move to fully renewable energy ASAP,” says Lex Hofsault, one of the vehicle’s manufacturers. “Electric charging stations are still a major obstacle. And if we don’t need them, we can change our standards faster.” .
Lightyear set hard-to-reach goals, as it manufactured less than 1,000 copies of its first model and set the price of each of them at 250,000 euros (264,000 dollars), while it announced affordable copies that it intends to offer in 2024 and 2025 at 30,000 euros (31.7 thousand dollars). for one of them.
While the market for electric cars is booming, it is expected that in the coming months, several models of vehicles equipped with solar panels will be launched. Toyota has started offering its customers a solar-paneled version of the Prius (a model with two engines, one running on gasoline and the other on electric), and another for its electric car, BZ4X. The same applies to the Cybertruck, which Tesla intends to introduce in 2023.
Mercedes has equipped the roof of its luxury EQXX vehicle with photovoltaic cells similar to those of the Lightyear vehicle, which will make the vehicle rely on solar energy for a track of 1,000 kilometers, the company confirms.
And the American researcher Gregory Nemett considers that “photovoltaic panels have become so cheap that they are starting to be used even in partially sunny areas.”
“Even if the roof of the car is unable to fully charge the battery in one day, it can store enough energy to take a person from their workplace to their home,” says the energy specialist at the University of Wisconsin.
The specialist in electric mobility at the Dutch University of Delft, Gotham Ram Chandra Muli, explains that solar energy can at least provide the operation of the air conditioner in the car.
The expert points out the importance of where the car should be parked, as it will not be charged unless it is parked in the open air, while it will be charged less during the winter season. In addition, they are shipped better near the equator than northern European countries.
In California, the startup Aptera received 25,000 requests for the first model it manufactures and intends to announce at the end of the year, which is a small car with three wheels and accommodates two people, with a price ranging between 26 and 46 thousand dollars and can run on solar energy for a distance of up to to 1600 km.
In Germany, the announcement is expected at the end of the year for the “Sion” car, another model that works on solar energy, a classic and an acceptable cost. This vehicle will be equipped with five seats and will be in a square shape and black in color because it will be completely covered by solar panels.
Jonah Christianes, a director at Uno Motors, which designs Scion, says the big startup has developed “technique to cover the entire car” with solar panels. While the company received 18,000 orders, it plans to manufacture 260,000 cars by 2030.
Scion is equipped with a vehicle-to-grid system that allows its charged battery to return electricity to the power grid when the sun goes down.
And “Uno Motors” also plans to sell its technology to other companies such as the French company specialized in refrigerated trailers, “Shiro”.
The Dutch company, Squad Mobility, plans to launch solar-powered cars in 2023 without obtaining a license.
Its president, Robert Hoovers, formerly of Lightyear, sees solar energy as the future of the automotive sector. “Solar panels will become cheaper yet, while electric motors will be more efficient,” he says, adding, “Sooner or later we will all walk in cars powered by solar energy.”