solar-powered car

Solar-Powered Cars: How Far Are We From Widespread Adoption?

Steve Russell - January 21, 2025

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Solar-powered cars offer cleaner transportation and more independence than standard electric vehicles (EVs), so why aren’t they popular yet? There are a few huge hurdles preventing widespread adoption. 

Is Solar Power the Future of Electromobility?

Electromobility is the use of electricity to power transportation. For years, its focus has been expanding charging infrastructure and making EVs more energy-efficient. While there’s still progress to be made, investment costs may soon outweigh gains. With plans to kill the EV tax credit on the horizon, automakers are wondering how to incentivize electric. 

Solar power may be the answer. One of the biggest problems with today’s EVs is range. They typically get between 100 to 300 miles before needing to recharge — a few hundred miles less than the average gas-powered car is capable of. 

While paying cents per kilowatt-hour is more affordable than paying dollars per gallon, the inconvenience of being tied to the charging station network drives people away from clean transportation. 

solar panel near car

Solar-powered cars solve this issue by continuously charging the battery. Whether someone is commuting to work, on a road trip or parked out front of their house, their vehicle absorbs ambient solar power. 

This way, people are free from the charging station network regardless of location. After all, in just one hour, the sun provides enough solar energy to power the entire planet for one year. People would save on recharging and home charger installation, which could help ensure the future of the EV market — and clean transportation. 

Considering transportation accounted for 28% of all the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 — vans, minivans, pickup trucks and SUVs made up 57% of that total — the impact would be significant. In theory, solar-powered cars could revolutionize electromobility. The problem is that the technology isn’t quite there yet. 

Solar-Powered Cars Are Experiencing Growing Pains

Several big industry names have gone bankrupt trying to perfect this technology. For instance, Atlas Technologies — the operating company behind Lightyear — declared bankruptcy in January 2023. The company’s original model wasn’t received well at its $260,000 price point. 

Solar Power Prototypes Are Bankrupting Companies

Lightyear announced it was halting production of that model and pivoting toward the more affordable Lightyear 2, which came with a 500-mile range for $40,000. Just days later, the company filed for bankruptcy. Its main competitor — and unofficial successor — was a German startup named Sono Motors. 

Sono Motors emerged in 2016 with the help of a crowdfunding campaign. It planned to sell its “Sion” model in dozens of European countries for just under $30,000. Despite receiving tens of thousands of preorders, the startup delayed the launch several times, citing financial issues. The solar-powered car was supposed to be released in 2024. 

Unfortunately, Sono Motors abandoned the project in 2023. It filed for insolvency — meaning it admitted it couldn’t pay off its debts and was in financial distress — a few months later. When these well-funded companies went under, the future of electromobility was put into question. 

Cities Are Not Designed for Optimal Solar Collection

Even if automakers can use the existing EV charging network for their solar-powered cars, there’s still an issue with power scarcity. Simply put, not every spot on Earth gets the same amount of sun. Shaded city streets, tree-covered parking lots and artificially-lit parking garages don’t offer sunlight. 

solar panel

The adverse effects of poorly placed shadows aren’t hypothetical. According to one report, urban shadowing reduces EV range by about 25% on average. Engineers would have to design special parking lots or garages to deploy solar-powered vehicles at scale. 

If companies manage to make solar-powered cars and specially designed parking garages, a secondhand market may never materialize. The used car marketplace is largely supplemented by vehicle insurers that write off after accidents. If the solar panels were damaged in a crash or hailstorm, those EVs could be virtually worthless, ruining the used car market. 

Why Fully Solar-Powered Vehicles Are Not Realistic 

According to industry experts, fully solar-powered cars aren’t realistic. Miguel Brito, a solar-power infrastructure and technology expert, says PV panels allow drivers to charge “every other week” instead of every week. While this would free up public chargers, enabling the existing charging infrastructure to support twice as many cars, the impact would feel minimal. 

What Is Holding Solar EVs Back

The main problem is that engineers can’t make these panels efficient enough. Space constraints all but tie their hands. Where else can they put a large panel beside the car’s roof? There are also weight and safety issues. PV cells are heavy and relatively fragile, complicated crash tests and range optimization. 

Moreover, solar panels typically lay flat to maximize sunlight collection. This design does not translate well to a car’s sloped roof. Automakers can’t even sacrifice those curves because of aerodynamics — increased wind resistance would counteract any energy-efficiency gains. 

Where to Look for Inspiration

Peter Pudney is the technical committee chair of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. For reference, this challenge is an international event for solar-powered cars. Engineers test their prototypes by driving them roughly 2,000 miles across the Australian outback. The goal is to facilitate research and development to achieve sustainable electromobility.

solar-powered car
Eclipse ETS solar car #92 competing in the American Solar Challenge.

He argues that engineers should focus on decreasing the energy required to transport passengers instead of increasing the energy efficiency of PV panels. He made a good point — using a 4,000-pound vehicle to transport a 150-pound person is very inefficient. Models like the ones in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge provide excellent inspiration. 

How Firms Can Overcome Hurdles

Pudney’s line of thinking highlights a problem many automakers unknowingly run into — they are designing solar-powered cars around the technical constraints of gas-powered ones. One example is how the charging setup resembles gas pumps and fuel tank openings. A radical change like PV panel integration requires extensive retrofitting, if not a complete redesign.

solar panel on vehicle
A flexible solar panel attached to a vehicle.

EVs should use flexible PV cells for maximum coverage, become lighter to increase range and use transparent solar panels instead of glass. Another possible solution is to get rid of unnecessary electronics. In the United States, 97% of vehicles have at least one touchscreen. Interestingly, many people prefer dials and buttons. 

Are There Solar-Powered Cars for Sale Yet?

While no fully solar-powered cars for sale exist yet, multiple companies are working on incorporating PV cells into EVs. The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime is a good example. The XSE Premium trim has an optional solar roof that powers the 13.6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion cell. It costs about $600 but has features like heated seats and a digital rearview mirror.

During real-world tests, the Toyota Prius Prime XSE Premium’s solar roof generated 2.2 kilowatt-hours of energy, adding approximately 6.4 miles to the range. It may not sound like much, but it’s a great start to an emerging technology. 

Hyundai offers a similar feature in the Ioniq 5. The original Ioniq came in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and EV variants. This latest model has a rooftop solar panel that adds nearly four miles daily to the vehicle’s 233-mile range. 

solar panel on car

The Mercedes Vision EQXX is one of the better solar-powered cars for sale because it was designed with sustainability in mind. It can travel 600 miles on a single charge. The interior is made of plant fibers and recycled plastics. The rooftop PV cells power 12-volt systems like the infotainment system, climate control fans and interior lights. 

While the Vision EQXX does not directly recharge the battery, it indirectly adds over 15 miles to the EV’s range by removing some load from the primary battery bank. While relatively few big-name automakers have solar-powered cars for sale, there are still great options.

One model that may hit the market soon is a three-wheeled prototype from Aptera Motors. It recently completed a successful test-drive in San Diego, California. The company says the next stage is energy efficiency — it wants to reach 1,000 miles on a single charge. 

Technically, this prototype is an enclosed autocycle — meaning it may require a helmet to drive. Besides that, the details look great. For one, it would be fully solar. It has 32 square feet of solar panels on most surfaces. It also weighs about 65% less than other EVs. 

The Future of Solar-Powered Electromobility

Just one decade ago, many people considered EVs financially and technically impossible. Now, a nationwide charging infrastructure exists, and almost all industry giants offer all-electric models. Change will take time, but it is possible.

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About the author

Steve Russell

Steve is the Managing Editor of Environment.co and regularly contributes articles related to wildlife, biodiversity, and recycling. His passions include wildlife photography and bird watching.