The roof that can produce energy for the car (but with a limit)

Sand cars are mostly outdoors, why not use the roof to install solar panels that generate power to power an electrified car?

The question may have crossed the minds of many. In fact, there are projects that work similar hypotheses, such as the American Solar Challenge for special vehicles or an electric car to be developed by Aptera.

But, large-scale solutions for conventional cars still seem to be a mirage – especially for making them walk. Now, there is a new proposal from the Chinese company Fuyao Glass – which basically consists of a panoramic roof with photovoltaic cells incorporated.

According to the manufacturer, the cell modules are applied to the car glass itself, which can extend by almost three meters. The sun hits and then the energy will be generated for the car to work – as in any solar panel. It can produce about 150 watts of power per square meter and be applied to several vehicles.

The proposed roof is transparent, with the visible pattern of photovoltaic cells, as can be seen in a video published by the manufacturer. But will it be enough to generate electricity for an electric car to ride?

The answer is no: the energy required for this is significantly higher what these panels are capable of generating. Still, electricity supplies the electric grid of the vehicle used, for example, for ventilation and air conditioning – can therefore result in savings in battery use.