An international public-private consortium will address how solar-powered vehicles can support the transition to an all-electric transport system in the EU. The group named SolarMoves and, in addition The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, includes among others Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sono Motors, and IM Efficiency. This pilot project comes at the behest of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport DG MOVE to explore the potential of solar-powered vehicles and its impact on the electrical recharging infrastructure policy and regulations in Europe in the coming years.A three years pilot project will be conducted in which modelling will be combined with and verified by on-the-road monitoring and testing. Various vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and vans) will be equipped with integrated solar panels. The vehicles will also be equipped with sensors to measure and determine solar irradiation in real-world conditions across Europe.The results of this monitoring will give insight into the increase in efficiency of electric vehicles when solar technology is integrated and will be used to ascertain the overall potential of this technology and make predictions on the required recharging infrastructure for the potential scenario in which a significant part of the electrical vehicles are equipped with solar modules in the next years. The findings will finally be translated into a set of policy recommendations for the European Commission.
An international public-private consortium will address how solar-powered vehicles can support the transition to an all-electric transport system in the EU. The group named SolarMoves and, in addition The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, includes among others Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sono Motors, and IM Efficiency. This pilot project comes at the behest of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport DG MOVE to explore the potential of solar-powered vehicles and its impact on the electrical recharging infrastructure policy and regulations in Europe in the coming years.A three years pilot project will be conducted in which modelling will be combined with and verified by on-the-road monitoring and testing. Various vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and vans) will be equipped with integrated solar panels. The vehicles will also be equipped with sensors to measure and determine solar irradiation in real-world conditions across Europe.The results of this monitoring will give insight into the increase in efficiency of electric vehicles when solar technology is integrated and will be used to ascertain the overall potential of this technology and make predictions on the required recharging infrastructure for the potential scenario in which a significant part of the electrical vehicles are equipped with solar modules in the next years. The findings will finally be translated into a set of policy recommendations for the European Commission.
