A French company has developed a thin-film solar cell that uses semi conductor compounds based on organic polymers printed on flexible films. The practical upshot of this is that it can be mounted on curved surfaces, something traditional solar panels cannot do.
Therefore, they have created a retractable car cover that incorporates ultra-thin photovoltaic mobiles that can be unrolled and rolled thousands of times without damaging or losing the functionality that can be used to partially recharge a car’s battery. According to Armor, founded in Nantes, the new solar mobile technology, called ASCA, weighs only about 450 grams consistent with the square meter, or approximately six times that of a compatible size sheet.
“We worked with two other French companies – ACPV, which was the sponsor of the project and Gazelle Tech, which is a startup that developed an electric car made out composite – to develop a solar car cover to produce energy when the car is parked,” Moïra Asses, marketing and business development manager at Armor, told Forbes.
The first prototype was unveiled at the Mondial Paris Motor Show in April of this year. The thin-film solar panels cover an area of 4 square meters and the cover itself is integrated into the body of the car, so at the flick of a switch it can be rolled out, retracted and safely stored.
The cells supply additional force to the vehicle’s battery and increase its diversity across up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) according to the day, depending on the car’s exposure to the sun for 8 hours. The company has set itself the purpose of gaining 48 km of autonomy according to the day in 3 years.
“The goal was to increase the battery life and therefore increase the distance the car could travel using solar energy. For the first prototype, we plan to add 8,000 kilometers to the car during one year and we expect to reach a 11,000 kilometers by 2023,” Asses said.
In the UK, electric vehicles are now on average £107 cheaper a year to own than petrol cars, an analysis of lifetime running costs recently revealed, based on purchase price and ownership costs over 14 years. And a 2018 study from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that electric vehicles cost less than half as much to operate as gas-powered cars.
Armor is running lately with 3 foreign car brands to expand the project. The concept has been to integrate the canopy with the vehicle, as this eliminates possible compatibility problems, other connections and even theft.
“The concept of having something automatic, so it’s simple when you close your car with your key, you can just push a button and implement that coverage and avoid having to do it manually every time you park,” Asses said.
Installing solar panels on an electric car is not a new idea, however, Armor says it is the first to install them in a canopy of cars than in the car itself. However, its ASCA thin film products can also be incorporated directly into a car frame.
In spaces that get plenty of sunlight, from California to Qatar, this can gain great advantages in the electric vehicle market, especially if the canopy designed to help keep the car cool as a bonus.
Asses believes the concept could be an additional feature for electric cars in the future, but as the power of photovoltaic generation is constantly improving, solar panels that can be deployed can force water pumps and supply electricity to camps or even be used on satellites or spacecraft.
Scott has written about science and generation for 20 years for publications around the world, BBC, NBC, FT and Space.com. It covers the environment.
Scott has written about science and generation for 20 years for publications around the world, BBC, NBC, FT and Space.com. It covers environmental generation for Forbes.