3 Solar Powered ELECTRIC CARS Available in 2022!
SOLAR PANELS are obviously not new (in fact the first solar cells were being developed in the late 1800s), but, until recently SOLAR POWERED CARS seemed more like a fantasy than reality. However, there are three SOLAR POWERED EVs coming soon, that should be available for purchase sometime in 2022 – so the wait may soon be over!
Obviously, you can install solar panels on your house or business and use that electricity to charge an electric vehicle – which allows you to drive on sunlight alone – however, the thought of SOLAR PANELS adding FREE range to your EV while it is parked without having to be plugged in or even while driving down the road on a sunny day is quite exciting…
Before I dive into the 3 Solar EVs, I want to quickly discuss why Solar powered EVs are not already common – I mean on a surface level, it seems like a NO BRAINER.
There are 3 main technical issues that have held back SOLAR EVs (besides the engineering side of including these panels into the body of a car):
1. Solar Panel Efficiency: Even the best COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE solar panels available today, have an efficiency of under 23% - meaning only around 23% of the sun’s energy hitting a highly efficient solar panel will be converted into electricity. Because of this, a larger surface area is needed to add a meaningful amount of charge to the car’s battery. Which leads me into the next issue…
2. Available Surface Area: The surface area on a vehicle that can house solar panels is not very large, so the amount of energy that can be harnessed from the sun is limited… because of this – in order for solar panels on a car to provide more than a token amount of actual range, the EV needs to be extremely efficient. Thus, leading to the third issue…
3. EV Efficiency: Even a very efficient vehicle like the Tesla Model 3 SR+ with solar panels wouldn’t add very much usable range due to the limited amount of available space for solar panels– so EXTREME efficiency is needed in Lieu of more surface area.
With that being said, there are three companies that have pushed the limits on EV and Solar panel efficiency, and they have engineered solar panels into the cars very design – and these SOLAR POWERED vehicles show what may be possible in the very near future.
2022 LIGHTYEAR ONE
Image Credit: Lightyear
The first Solar Powered vehicle comes from the EV startup: LIGHTYEAR.
If you live in the EU, Norway or Switzerland, you can reserve the LIGHTYEAR ONE with deliveries scheduled to begin in the SUMMER of 2022. The initial production (Exclusive Pioneer Edition) will only include 946 cars (but I assume future runs of the vehicle will be at a much greater scale), and has a cost of €150.000, so this car is definitely not cheap – however the car has a lot to like and should have some impressive specs – including LONG RANGE!
According to Lightyear, “With a fully charged battery Lightyear One range is 725 km (450 miles) on the WLTP drive cycle.” - which will definitely makes this a practical everyday EV, that could easily be your daily driver.
The LIGHTYEAR ONE is large enough to comfortable seat 5 passengers and includes around 780L (27.5 cu ft) of cargo space.
When it comes to the drivetrain, the LIGHYEAR ONE has four independently controlled in-wheel motors which they say make up a 97% efficient drivetrain – and only requires 83 Wh/km according to the WLTP test cycle – allowing the LIGHYEAR one to efficiently use every watt hour gained by the solar panels.
Here is how this efficiency compares to the ULTRA efficient Tesla Model 3 SR+:
When it comes to the DRAG COEFFICIENT which is also another important metric that determines a vehicles efficiency, they mention, “Lightyear One’s design allows it to attain a record-breaking drag coefficient (Cd) of less than 0.20.”
For context, the lightyear one, should be slightly more aerodynamic than the very impressive NEWLY refreshed Model S which boasts a drag coefficient of just 0.208.
When it comes to the solar panels themselves, Lightyear mentions on their website, that the vehicle is equipped with, “…five square meters of solar panels” and that “The patented double curved solar array achieves 215 Wp/m²”
So, by doing a little math, in total, the LIGHTYEAR ONE has just over a 1 kW solar system built into the vehicle which is quite impressive!
When it comes to the EXTERIOR vehicle size, the LIGHTYEAR ONE should be approximately the same size as the Model S – so it is a practical full-sized sedan.
When it comes to charging the Lightyear One, below are the official charge estimates from Lightyear:
Solar: 12 km/h
3.7 kW at 230v: 35 km/h
22 kW (Public): 209 km/h
60 kW (Fast charging): 570 km/h
The interior appears very clean, spacious and well designed and when it comes to general features… it will be capable of “Over the air software updates” will include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and have a wireless charging pad for your phone or other devices.
Overall, it looks like a great EV that I wish was available in the USA and I look forward to subsequent solar vehicles from them in the future.
Reservations are still open as of the writing of this article if you would like to be one of the first to own the lightyear one, however do be aware, that you must put down the entire €150.000 purchase price to place a reservation. You can find the reservation page here: https://lightyear.one/reserve
2022 APTERA
Image Credit: Aptera
The second Solar Powered car I would like to discuss comes from APTERA (an EV startup based out of San Diego, CA) and it is a unique looking 3-wheeled EV, with up to a 1,000-mile range.
It may not have as much room as the full-size Lightyear One sedan which can seat 5 passengers, but this two-seater still offers 25 cubic feet of rear storage, making it a practical vehicle for people without Children.
The vehicle is also very affordably price as well. The base model will cost just under $26K, and will offer around 250 mi of range, and the top end 1,000 mi version has a base price of just under $45K - they will also offer a 400 mi & 600mi version as well.
When it comes to exterior dimensions, the Aptera 3-wheeled EV is smaller than the Tesla Model 3, but it is not as small as it looks like.
Dimensions:
Aptera: Overall Length: 172 in.| Overall Width: 88.0 in. | Overall Height: 57 in.
MODEL 3: Overall Length: 184.8 in.| Overall Width: 82.2 in. | Overall Height: 56.8 in.
When it comes to efficiency, the APTERA’s will be the WORLD’S MOST EFFICIENT EV – and will be more than 2X more efficient than a MODEL 3! Also, due to it’s Aircraft inspired design, it has a drag coefficient of just 0.13, which will make it the most aerodynamic EV in the world!
Due to it’s light weight, the Aptera should only consume around 100 Wh/mi, whereas the Tesla Model 3 consumes closer to 240 Wh/m according to the EPA test cycle – making the aptera very efficient – even more efficient that the LIGHYEAR ONE which should consume around 130 Wh/mi.
When it comes to the solar panels, it can be equipped with up to a 700 watt system covering up to ~3 square meters – and APTERA claims this is capable of adding “40 miles of solar powered driving per day” – of course in ideal sunny conditions.
Included in the base price are solar panels on the roof and dash of the vehicle, but in order to get the maximum 700 watt system, it costs an extra $900 for the full system which also covers the front hood and rear hatch.
If you need to charge the vehicle due beyond what is gained by the solar panels,
110 V outlet: 13 miles an hour or about 150 miles of charge overnight.
Fast Charge: 100 miles in 10 minutes.
When it comes to availability, besides being available in the USA, Aptera states on their website, “Our goal is to sell Aptera worldwide everywhere possible. Our first three-wheel vehicle may not meet every global market’s requirement, but we have an EU homologation and certification expert working with us and we may investigate minor model changes to meet earliest production deliveries.”
When it comes to delivery timing, Aptera is planning “…to scale production and begin deliveries of our first Paradigm edition vehicles in early 2022.”
The Aptera is very unique, offers a surprising amount of room in it’s interior, and has a very clean modern interior that reminds me of a Tesla Model 3 – and with it’s low price, long range and solar panel options – it seems like a great EV that would be very enjoyable to own.
You can go to Aptera’s website right now and reserve one for $100: https://www.aptera.us/
2022/2023 Tesla Cybertruck
Image Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Back in April of 2019, Elon Musk replied to a question about a potential Solar Powered Tonneau cover for the Cybertruck with the following,
“Will be an option to add solar power that generates 15 miles per day, possibly more. Would love this to be self-powered. Adding fold out solar wings would generate 30 to 40 miles per day. Avg miles per day in US is 30.”
Recently, in May of this year, Tesla did indeed file a PATENT APPLICATION that described a SOLAR POWERED Tonneau cover that will apparently be an option on the Cybertruck – Here is a quote from that Tesla Patent Application:
“…wherein the truck bed cover comprises a plurality of solar electric cells that are electrically connected to the battery pack; and wherein the plurality of solar electric cells on the truck bed cover in a closed position is configured to recharge the battery pack, the closed position of the truck bed cover enabling the plurality of solar electric cells to face a sun.”
Being able to add 15+ miles of range per day with a HUGE vehicle like the Cybertruck will be very impressive – and while for most people this will not eliminate the need to charge the Cybertruck, it should at least help reduce the amount of charging you need to do, and if the vehicle was parked for a period of time (say like if you went on vacation) it would eliminate the “phantom drain” that all EVs face and could actually let you come hope to a full charge from the sun!
When it comes to availability – Tesla recently pushed back the delivery timeline, and now production of the TRUCK is expected to happen in late 2022 with volume production beginning in 2023. You can currently still reserve a Cybertruck - however there are an estimated 1M+ reservations, so expect to wait awhile if you do not already have a place in line.
You can find the reservation page here: www.tesla.com/cybertruck/design