German Startup Aims to Sell “Self-Charging” Electric Car Covered in Solar Panels

From GreenTech Media:

After raising nearly $60 million in a recent 50-day crowdfunding campaign, Munich-based Sono Motors expects its €25,500 ($27,600) electric car, the Sion, to benefit from a range extension from about 2 miles per day to as much as 20 miles per day in Germany, depending on the season and weather, thanks to a solar charging system integrated into the body of the car.

Headline in the article:

Why hasn’t anyone else thought of this?

Oh, people have been thinking about this for at least as long as I’ve been in the industry (12 years).  In fact, 2008 saw the first after-market solar Toyota Prius.  Every few weeks one reads about a new such entrant.

The problem isn’t that no one is thinking about it, but rather that the concept itself, integrating PV into auto design, is of little overall value and thus the ROI is unappealing.  On top of that, the idea of putting PV on the front, back, and sides of the vehicle takes the notion from sketchy to ludicrous.

Then you have the dishonesty issue; calling it a “self-charging car” when the PV amounts for such a small percentage of the car’s fuel is deceitful.  That doesn’t help the cause; there’s enough BS in the world without adding more to it.