Mercedes-Benz has developed an innovative solution that could transform electric vehicle charging. The German automaker has created a solar paint that increases EV efficiency, according to a report by Autoblog.
While other car manufacturers have considered solar paint as a charging option, their versions have mainly been in the form of solar modules. However, solar modules do not provide a long-term solution because of their lack of flexibility as well as their fragility in the event of an accident.
What makes Mercedes' new solar paint so revolutionary is that it can cover the entire body of the car, not just the roof or sides. The paint is only 5 micrometers thick and weighs just 50 grams per square meter. As a result, it can go on any surface, even panel creases and curved fenders.
The best part? The new solar paint could generate enough power to add thousands of miles per year in driving range, per Autoblog.
Mercedes notes that the solar paint operates at 20% efficiency, which is roughly the same as EV solar cells. However, solar paint is more flexible than solar panels and can charge an EV battery whenever the sun hits any part of the car's paintwork.
Autoblog broke those potential added miles down further.
"Since the coating can cover the entire vehicle, a coating with an area of 118.4 square feet, which is about the size of a midsize SUV, could produce more than 7,450 miles of driving range per year," wrote Autoblog.
Mercedes' post also said that this solar energy generation could be used to power a home during a blackout or specific appliances using bidirectional charging. This is already possible with many EVs and is quickly becoming one of the best reasons to own one, but if a car can recharge its batteries to a useful degree each day, even during an outage or lack of access to a charging station, the value of an EV would increase more.
Adding EV charging stations and infrastructure has been one of the biggest challenges in encouraging widespread EV adoption. However, now automakers are getting creative with their EV designs, developing ways vehicles can charge on the road while also reducing total costs.
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Switching to an EV is a great way to save money on fuel and car maintenance while significantly reducing your environmental footprint. While the manufacturing of EV batteries generates pollution, it's nowhere near the same amount of pollution generated by gas-powered cars.
Now with Mercedes' solar paint on the horizon, EV drivers will have a nontoxic and cheaper alternative to solar modules. What's more, solar paint only requires the use of easily accessible, raw materials to make.
"Considering the cost of producing Mercedes' solar coating and the lack of rare earth metals, it could be the leading solution to charging concerns," wrote Autoblog.
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