As early as 20 12, Toyota introduced an optional roof solar charging system for its first mass-produced hybrid Prius, but it can only supply power to the vehicle ventilation system when parking, which can be used as an auxiliary charging power source for the vehicle 12V lead-acid battery.
In contrast, as the world's first mass-produced "solar car", the 2020 Sonata hybrid roof solar system can charge the battery of the hybrid system. Is Hyundai playing with this technology or is it serious? Does this mean a new development direction, and are there other players to follow?
At present, Hyundai has planned three generations of roof solar systems, among which the 2020 Sonata hybrid is equipped with the first generation of roof solar charging system to charge the 1.76kWh battery installed in the car.
As the first generation system, the solar panels on the roof generate little electricity and the charging efficiency is very low. Only 1.76kWh battery can be fully charged with 30%-60% electricity in six hours, but it can be charged when the car is driving, which can theoretically increase the mileage of 1300 km every year.
"The solar charging system on the roof is a good example of how Hyundai has become a clean mobile supplier. This technology enables our customers to actively solve the emission problem. " We are working hard to further expand the application scope of this technology, from eco-cars to diesel locomotives, "said Heui Won Yang, senior vice president and head of body technology department of Hyundai Motor Group.
In order to achieve the goal of modern cars, technicians are testing the second and third generation solar charging systems on the roof. Here are some plans:
1 and the second generation will be integrated into the panoramic sunroof of internal combustion engine vehicles. Hyundai Motor said that its main purpose is to help these vehicles meet the increasingly stringent carbon dioxide emission regulations.
2. At present, the third generation system is being tested to improve the energy output of pure electric vehicles, in which the panel is integrated in the roof and hood.
As can be seen from the above planning, Hyundai has great determination to promote solar charging system on the roof, but it can also be seen from the first generation product data that there is a lot of room for improvement, and the specific cost is unknown at present. It is hoped that the charging efficiency will be better improved in the second and third generation products.
Hyundai is not the only company exploring "solar cars". At home and abroad, many players, including Toyota, are exploring "solar cars". Let's look at those "peers".
China Hanergy
As early as 20 16, Hanergy Group released four solar electric vehicles, namely solar A, solar R, solarO and solar L, with different positioning. At CES Asia20 18, Hanergy exhibited solar A again, but CESAsia 20 19 did not see Hanergy.
According to the data at that time, solar A's solar panel is 7.5 square meters, and it can generate about 8- 10 kWh of electricity when it is irradiated in sufficient sunlight for 5-6 hours every day, which can support this vehicle with a weight of 1.2 tons to travel 80 kilometers, with an average annual speed of more than 20,000 kilometers.
At CES Asia 20 18, Zhang Bin, executive director and senior vice president of Hanergy Thin Film Power Generation Group, said that he was cooperating with Audi, FAW, BAIC and other car companies to realize mass production of solar cars in the next 2-3 years.
Dutch startup Lightyear
In June this year, Dutch electric vehicle startup Lightyear announced the first prototype of a production car, named "Lightyear One", with a cruising range of 450 miles. It is planned to be delivered in 2020, and the scheduled price is as high as 6.5438+0.33 million pounds.
Lightyear was founded by the Eindhoven team that won the World Solar Challenge in 20 13, 20 15 and 20 17. Lex Hoefsloot, co-founder and CEO, said that when the solar charging function cannot be used in bad weather, it can be charged through an ordinary household socket and can last for 400 kilometers a night.
In typical Dutch weather, people expect to use solar energy to travel about 5,000 to 6,000 miles in a year. According to the WLTP test cycle, its battery can provide a cruising range of nearly 450 miles after being fully charged.
At the end of last year, Lightyear announced the establishment of a cooperative relationship with Leaseplan to make its cars available for lease and purchase when it is launched in 2020. The company also opened a production plant in Helmand, the Netherlands. At present, the company has 100 employees, including former Tesla, Ferrari and Jaguar employees.
Toyota and Sharp in Japan
20 19 July, Toyota announced that it would test new solar cell technology on the road through a specially designed demonstration car. The partner of this cooperation is Sharp. The high-efficiency solar panels developed by Sharp for NEDO were installed on the roof, hood and trunk lid of Toyota hybrid Prius.
According to reports, the above solar panels can generate about 860 watts of electricity, and the conversion efficiency is 34%, which is much higher than the current production version of 22.5%. Compared with the production version, it can only supply power to the ventilation system of the car when parking, or it is a 12V lead-acid battery. The new system can charge the power battery while driving.
The solar cell is laminated in the resin on the top of the curved glass of the roof, which matches the traditional hard top design of the Prius. Unfortunately, this reinforced glass panel failed the rollover crash test in the United States, so the solar roof option is currently only available for Prius in Japan and Europe.
The pace of human exploration of new energy will never stop, and solar cars are just one of the directions. What do you think of solar cars?