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Travel in vehicles powered directly by solar energy has so far been limited to highly optimized experimental vehicles designed by university teams to race thousands of miles across sunny, open regions. These feats are undeniably impressive, but they remain impractical for everyday commuting. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sunflare Solar showed off its flexible CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) solar modules applied to a Tesla Cybertruck. The vehicle was also equipped with a battery system capable of delivering up to 5 kW of power, although no details were provided on the batterys energy storage capacity. According to Cybertruck Owners Club forum member “Stumby,” who took some great photos of the unit and spoke to a representative at the CES booth, the fully installed system, including the battery, costs $10,000. Electrek reported that Sunflare Solar claims to have wrapped the vehicle with 1.5 kW of its solar cells. While Sunflare hasn’t shared CES footage on its mostly dormant social channels, videos of the Cybertruck have circulated widely. The company showed a vertical ad for its “flexible solar film for cars,” highlighting the thin-film CIGS solar cells used in the project. Sunflare’s name appears on the back of the modules on display. Sunflare offers several solar products for vehicles on its website, including the Flex+/Flex series, which features CIGS solar panels with an efficiency of 17%. The company’s 180-watt Flex module is available online for about $750. When talking about solar panels on vehicles, the conversation often revolves around their practical utility. Solar panels work best when they are facing directly at the sun, but most surfaces on cars are not. Furthermore, the available surface area on a car is small relative to the energy needed to power it. Even under optimal conditions, the electricity generated is limited. Estimates suggest that under ideal circumstances, a vehicles solar panels could provide a maximum range of about 15 miles per day. In this particular Cybertruck solar design, one obvious limitation is apparent: the largest, flattest, potentially sun-facing surface is devoid of solar modules, as shown in a video from Electric Revolution. Several recent initiatives to build and market solar cars have struggled to gain traction. For example, Lightyear One, which raised more than $110 million and was planning to launch in 2020, has filed for bankruptcy. Aptera, reminiscent of the exceptionally sleek and efficient solar cars designed by college teams for record-breaking races, has also raised considerable funding and issued a prodigious number of press releases, but has yet to launch. The company claims its flagship vehicle, the Launch Edition, will deliver up to 400 miles (1 mile = 1.6 km) per charge and up to 40 miles per day thanks to integrated solar panels. Despite these challenges, development continues. Toyota and other manufacturers are working on more efficient solar cells designed specifically for vehicles. Meanwhile, several solar vehicle platforms are being tested in real-world conditions. In Europe, Scania has equipped semi-trailers with Midsummer CIGS solar cells, installed on the trailers’ large flatbeds. Although these solar-equipped trailers are attached to much larger and heavier vehicles, Scania and Midsummer research suggests that trucks can gain between 3,000 and 6,000 “free” kilometres per year thanks to solar panels. |
