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In a publication on ongoing research activities, an efficiency of 20% is mentioned. The photovoltaic coating is said to be much cheaper than conventional solar modules and is not based on silicon.
The car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has published an “exclusive insight into research activities and future technologies”, in which it lists in brief descriptions various innovations that are currently being tested for feasibility. These range from cooperation with metropolises and integration into their transport and traffic concepts to the integration of augmented reality glasses, an alternative to leather in the vehicle interior based on recycled plastic and biotechnologically produced materials or a virtually maintenance-free and wear-free regenerative brake integrated into the engine and transmission unit of electric cars as well as drive batteries regulated at cell level and even a “solar coating”.
These are “innovative solar modules” that are only five micrometres thick and are applied seamlessly to the car body “like a wafer-thin paste”. The photovoltaically active surface can be applied to any substrate. The protective layer is a “completely new type of nanoparticle-based paint” that is said to allow 94% of solar energy to pass through. The additional weight of 50 grams per square metre is therefore very low. The research department is currently working on making the coating applicable to all exterior surfaces of a vehicle, “regardless of their shape and angle of inclination”.
In the still very vague description of the technology, Mercedes-Benz mentions an efficiency of 20%. With an area of ??eleven square metres, which corresponds to a medium-sized off-roader, enough energy can be generated to cover up to 12,000 kilometres a year "under ideal conditions" and normalised for radiation at the companys premises in Stuttgart.
Two examples of how this works are given: In Stuttgart, a Mercedes covers an average of 52 kilometres per day, of which around 62% can be covered by solar energy, which feeds the high-voltage battery directly. In Los Angeles, however, a customer could even “cover an average of 100% of his journey using solar energy.”
The company does not provide any further details on the cell technology. It simply states that the “solar paint” does not contain rare earths or silicon, and that only “non-toxic and readily available raw materials” are needed. The material can be easily recycled and its manufacture is “considerably cheaper than conventional solar modules.”
Mercedes-Benz had already designed a solar roof for its "Vision EQXX" concept study almost three years ago in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, but this was based on silicon cells. |
