TL;DR
- The paint will consist of wafer-thin solar modules (with photovoltaic cells), which could be applied to the surface of electric vehicles.
- However, like regular solar cells, the ones mounted on a car’s surface should have adequate exposure to sunlight.
The German luxury automaker is studying the application of solar-active bodypaint for its cars, which can generate electricity on the go and increase an electric vehicle’s effective range. According to an article published on surface-technology.com, the company’s research division believes that covering an entire vehicle could produce electricity for 12,000 kilometers every year.
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How Much Will The Solar-Active Paint Weigh?
The article highlights the details of the solar-active paint, stating that it is just 5 micrometers thick (thinner than a human hair). Further, it weighs 50 grams per square meter, which means that for an average car’s surface area (around 10 to 11 square meters), the company could apply around half a kilogram of solar-active paint (so there’s no concern about making the vehicle heavy).
The paint will consist of wafer-thin solar modules (with photovoltaic cells), which could be applied to the surface of electric vehicles. Given that solar cells have an efficiency of 20 percent, an area of around 10 to 11 square meters should be able to produce electricity for around 12,000 kilometers per year.
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The Paint Could Add Around 30 Kilometers To An EV’s Range Everyday
However, like regular solar cells, the ones mounted on a car’s surface should have adequate exposure to sunlight. On overcast days, the cars might not be able to generate additional energy from the solar-active paint. However, on regular days, with bright sunlight, the pain should be able to produce enough electricity to drive the vehicle around 30 to 32 kilometers.
Mercedes-Benz wants to develop a system that not only uses solar energy when active but also generates energy even when the electric car is parked or switched off. If the owner isn’t driving the vehicle, the generated energy could be stored in the car’s battery or could be fed directly into the grid via bidirectional charging.
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Solar-Active Paint Could Cost More Than Regular Paint
Apart from increasing a car’s range, the solar-active paint is free of rear earth metals, doesn’t contain silicon, and is made using non-toxic and readily available materials. In other words, the company is taking care of the paint’s impact on the environment. Even though the paint is cheaper than regular solar modules, it could still cost more than regular paints on cars, and hence, might increase the effective price of an EV by a noticeable margin.
For now, Mercedes-Benz is working to stabilize the application of the paint on every surface of a vehicle, regardless of the surface’s shape, size, and angle of curvature. Hence, it could be a while before the technology starts working with stability and trickles down to consumer-grade EVs produced by the brand.
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