Solar panels are also beginning to invade the roofs of vehicles following buildings, as a number of start-ups, as well as giant companies, have started toAuto industryin adopting it to save energy in its new electric cars.
Under the blazing sun in northern Spain, Lightyear, 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 square meters of solar panels. .
The craft’s manufacturers, young Dutch engineers, won several solar-focused competitions 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 difficult 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) each.
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 vehicle “EQXX” with photovoltaic cells similar to those of the “Lightyear” vehicle, and that will make the vehicle rely on solar energy for a track of 1,000 km, the company confirms.