Electric Car Recharges With Solar

Ford recently unveiled a prototype of its C-MAX Energi hybrid that can run on roof-mounted photovoltaic panels for up to 34 kilometers (about 21 miles). Billed as the first electric vehicle that doesn’t need to be plugged in, it represents an important shift in automotive design toward total energy independence.

In order to overcome the relative inefficiencies of solar energy conversion, the concept car includes a 20-square meter canopy that acts as a giant magnifying glass to intensify the sun’s rays, and charge the lithium ion batteries up to eight times faster than if it were simply parked in the sun. As the car tracks the position of the sun using sensors and cameras, it moves around under the acrylic lenses to optimize exposure.