Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles are becoming quite the norm these days. From time to time, the thought of integrating solar panels into the roof of a car has crossed my mind and I would wonder if it would ever be efficient enough for manufacturers to do so such a thing. After all, during elementary school in the 1990’s, our town’s university would always showcase their solar powered car and tell the young kids about how well it did in competitions (speed and range). Of course the cars that they showed us back then looked like a hot dog on wheels but apparently Ford has something cooking up. The Ford C-MAX Solar Energi Concept is in the testing phases and it is said that the electric battery pack on this plug-in hybrid vehicle can be fully charged via the sun in one day. Sounds pretty interesting right?
If you’re looking for a moon roof option, it probably won’t be available on this vehicle. Ford is to debut the concept vehicle at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas this January. The Ford C-MAX Solar Energi has the same battery as the standard C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and will also have the same performance in terms of electric-only driving range. The big difference of course are the integrated solar panels which draw power from a special solar concentrator lens which is similar to a magnifying glass that directs intense rays to solar panels on the vehicle’s roof. The solar version of this vehicle will still have its plug-in capability for those days when the sun can’t be fully utilized. It is estimated that one Ford C-MAX Solar Energi can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to four metric tons that a typical owner would produce.
This study is a collaboration between Ford, Georgia Institute of Technology, and SunPower Corp. The school has developed an off-vehicle solar concentrator that uses a custom Fresnel lens to direct sunlight to the solar cells while boosting the impact of the sunlight by a factor of eight. SunPower Corp is providing the high-efficiency solar cells for the project. The system is able to track the sun as it moves across the sky, drawing enough power from the rays through the concentrator each day. It is able to “collect” eight kilowatts which is equivalent to a four-hour battery charge.
When the Ford C-MAX Solar Energi is fully charged, it has a driving range of up to 620 miles (998 km) which includes 21 electric-only miles (34 km). And as mentioned, the vehicle can still be charged via a charge port. Real world testing scenarios will start soon to determine whether it is feasible to develop this as a production vehicle.
Even if it is not feasible at the present moment, I think it would be great if testing and development continues. It is only a matter of time before these concepts become a reality.
