Solar car: when e-vehicles charge themselves

Like all electric vehicles, solar cars have the advantage of being emission-free, economical and quiet. Since you get a part of your driving energy from the sun, you "fill up", so to speak, partly for free. Their disadvantage is their dependence on the weather: without sufficient sunlight, the batteries cannot be charged. Since the solar cells still deliver comparatively little electricity, the cars still have to be charged at least in part at charging stations.

This depends on the model. For example, the toyota prius plug-in, which is also available with a solar roof as an option, is from 38.690 euro (new car) available. Somewhat less expensive is the sono sion, an electric car with solar cells that is expected to go into production in early 2023. The model should have a purchase price of 28.have 500 euro. The lightyear one, which is scheduled for delivery in summer 2022, is expected to cost 150.000 euro advertised.

If your solar car has the opportunity to "fill up" on sunlight for 8 to 10 hours a day, depending on the model, it can generate electricity for 5 to approx. generate 100 km. So, theoretically, the longer-range solar cars can be powered entirely by solar energy, at least for short trips. However, since continuous sunshine cannot always be expected and the energy requirement is too high for longer distances, in reality at least occasional charging at a power socket is necessary.

The solar cars are coming!

There are already many prototypes. But a car with solar power is still anything but commonplace.

Electromobility is being driven forward all the time, fostering the ingenuity of researchers and developers. What if we could no longer plug it in every evening but they would simply have to generate their electricity from solar energy from the sun could obtain – ideally even while driving? This is no longer science fiction, because in fact solar cars have been used for decades research into the "solar car" concept. Time and again, headlines emerge reporting on clever minds somewhere in the world that are able to a new prototype have developed.

The first car manufacturers are even beyond that point and solar cars are already producing in series – or are at least close to it. We want to give you some of these models introduce.

Solar roof as additional equipment

There are already electric or hybrid cars on the market that can be can also be equipped with solar cells for an additional charge can. These are for example the toyota prius plug-in and the hyundai IONIQ 5. However, the solar cells can only be used on the roof of the vehicles are installed and thus cover only a small part of the surface area.

With this they deliver comparatively little electricity. In the case of the toyota prius, for example, this is just enough for 5 km per day and with the IONIQ 5 it looks similar. It is therefore almost impossible to on solar energy alone to be operated. Rather, the power from the solar cells here to be seen as extra, to increase the range of the vehicles. Owners still have to charge their cars at the wall socket.

The sono sion: a solar car from germany

The biggest disadvantage of solar cars is their dependence on the weather.

The sono sion on the other hand is a "real" solar car. The model is currently being developed by the german start-up company sono motors and has solar cells embedded directly in the body cladding both on the roof and on the sides. The sion is a purely electric car, which can be charged either via a charging interface or by means of the integrated solar modules.

Expert tests showed that the sion has a range of up to 305 km creates. In good solar conditions, it is possible to up to 34 km per day are produced via solar cells. If you lived in a sunny area and, above all, if you could short distances in theory, it is actually possible to drive this solar car completely by solar energy to operate. Alternatively, of course, you can also charge it in the traditional way at a charging station and only use the solar cells to increase its range.

The sono sion is expected to go in production from 2023 and is then sold for a purchase price of 28.500 euros be available. Interested buyers can already purchase the model for a down payment of 500 euros on the sono motors website reserve.

2022 the lightyear one is coming

Even a little faster than sono motors, the dutch start-up lightyear, because this company has already started production of its solar car model in 2021 lightyear one started. However, the first models will not be delivered until they are from summer 2022.

The lightyear one is also completely covered with solar cells, which makes per hour electricity for up to 12 kilometers can be created. All in all, this solar car achieves a range of 725 km and thus consumes less than half the power of most conventional electric cars. This is its special lightweight construction and low air resistance owe.

So with this solar car you can easily manage even longer distances, but this innovation also comes at a price: a proud 150.000 euro the lightyear one should cost. Reservations are possible on the website of the manufacturer lightyear possible.