Hyundai & Kia Cars to have Solar Panel Roofs
Hyundai & Kia Cars to have Solar Panel Roofs
Hyundai and Kia have finally grasped the obvious and is working on developing roofs based on solar panels to increase battery efficiency and range.
The concept has been in discussion for quite some time but the solar panels the size of a car’s roof can’t produce enough power to charge the battery to a significant level in a reasonable time. Yet, this slow production can be compensated when you consider factors like long drives and weather conditions.
However, since many global industries have opened their eyes to the planet’s threat due to CO2 emissions, many companies have decided to enhance the technologies.
Hyundai Green Energy
Hyundai Motor Group is among the first automobile manufacturers on the list of such companies. They announced that selected models after 2019 will feature solar panels on the vehicle’s rooftop or hood.
The company said that there are three solar panel technologies being worked upon right now to get the job done.
Efficiency of the Solar Panels mounted on Car Rooftops
The First Generation Solar Panels
The tier-one solar panels or first-generation solar panels or Traditional Solar Panels will be traditional solar panels mounted on a car’s rooftops. These panels will be able to charge the battery between 30 to 60 present each day, which is quite significant.
The efficiency of these solar panels may vary based on factors like weather conditions and the intensity of the sun’s rays. Car’s with silicon solar panels mounted on rooftops will be rolled out to the market around 2020.
The Second Generation Solar Panels
The second iteration of solar panel roofs will be a semi-transparent solar roof system which would be equal or more efficient than the traditional tier-one solar panel systems.
Hyundai has its confidence in the second generation because it will help the company develop vehicles that will conform to CO2 emission-limiting regulations around the world.
The Third Generation Solar Panels
The third-gen solar charging technology will have the vehicles feature solar panel-mounted hoods as well as the roofs.
More surface area means that more cells can be placed on the vehicles, more cells will result in a larger power output.
Just like any other company working on this type of solar technology, Hyundai has also refrained from releasing a lot of details about this research.
Other Companies working on Solar Panel Roof Technology
Hyundai is not the only automobile company working on solar charging technologies for vehicles. Many companies and partnerships including Panasonic and Toyota, Karma, Audi, and Tesla are working to accelerate the development technologies that will change the automobile industry forever if they succeeded.
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