The EV boom is here, as major automakers and many new startups roll out a wide array of EV models, and consumer interest continues to grow. This has been largely encouraged by government pressure to shift away from fossil fuels to green alternatives, with some countries introducing a ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles within the next 15 years. However, while the battery EV sector is growing, other green vehicle technologies are lagging, including hydrogen fuel cell EVs and solar EVs. Teams of researchers across the globe are trying to crack the code to deliver solar-powered cars, with varying success, and little hope of a commercial rollout any time soon.
Currently, solar panels are being offered by some companies as an additional extra for battery EVs rather than as a standalone charging method. Toyota previously offered a solar roof as an additional extra, at the cost of $600, on its Prius Prime, but few consumers seemed interested in taking up the feature. Experts in the industry believe that this is largely due to a lack of consumer familiarity with the technology. Some suggest that incorporating solar panels into battery EVs could allow users to reduce the time between charging substantially. While the development of wholly solar-powered cars might not be possible at present, solar panels may provide a significant boost to battery EVs.
When it comes to vehicles powered entirely by solar, progress is slow due to a wide range of challenges. Solar EVs have solar panels, known as vehicle-integrated PV (photovoltaics), incorporated into their design. Researchers are looking into the best way to incorporate these panels into vehicles, considering the shape of the panel and car, and using the most space possible to produce energy by covering the roof, sides and bonnet with PVs. These panels use sunlight to power the car’s motor, while excess energy is stored in the car’s battery. However, this technology is still in the nascent stage, largely due to cost and technical challenges, with few companies developing wholly solar-powered vehicles.
Peter Pudney, an associate professor of industrial and applied mathematics at the University of South Australia explains, “The PV [photovoltaic] cells used on solar cars are the same as used for rooftop solar panels, [but] because of the limited space available on the roof of a vehicle, cells with the highest available efficiency are normally chosen,” Pudney says. “Instead of focusing on how to increase the energy generated by PV cells on cars, we should be looking at how to decrease the energy required to move people around. Using 1 to 2 tonnes of machinery to move an 80-kilogram person is very inefficient.”
One company developing solar EVs is the Dutch firm Lightyear, which claimed in 2022 that it had created the “world’s first solar car”. The company launched the “Lightyear 0” vehicle and has moved on to develop “Lightyear 2”, with consumers having to join a waiting list for the car and prices starting at almost $53,000. The company promises a range of 500 miles between charges and three times fewer charges than conventional EVs. It also uses environmentally friendly materials in the production process, such as plant-based leather and recycled bottle fabric, which it says makes the lifetime emissions around half that of standard EVs.
However, the company faced bankruptcy last year, before gaining extra funding from investors, and decided to halt production on the Lightyear 2. It appears that instead of producing solar-powered cars, the company may now instead offer its expertise and products to the auto industry, for EV makers to incorporate solar panels into conventional battery EVs. The recently-elected new CEO of Lightyear, Bonna Newman, stated “Lightyear has demonstrated how highly-efficient electric vehicles combined with on-board solar will accelerate the energy transition and benefit the world… Lightyear has set the stage for a new era of solar-powered mobility. I look forward to partnering our amazing team with the automotive industry to ensure the best on-board solar technology is available to everyone.”
Several major EV companies are expected to include vehicle-integrated PVs as an add-on or as standard in new EV models, to offer consumers a longer range on a single charge. Hyundai, for example, includes a solar roof in its new Sonata Hybrid and is expected to include it in other models moving forward. This suggests that automakers are looking to solar power to boost EV performance, rather than replace conventional charging methods. Adding solar panels could provide between 30 to 60 percent of the battery charge through solar power, according to Hyundai, which is greatly promising for consumers looking for a longer range from their EVs. As solar panel and EV technology continue to improve, we are likely to see far more companies offering solar charging options in their EVs.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
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BANKRUPT
Even when a solar panel is incorporated into battery EVs to extend their range, it will extend the range a little at considerable additional cost and still one will face a limitation on driving them at night because of the storage capacity of the battery and the small size of the panels.
The same intermittent nature of solar energy which limits to solar-electricity generation will still apply to solar battery and therein lie the rub.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Global Energy Expert