Sakura Solar Snapshot | Fast Facts
Sun-Powered Miles
At GreenCars, we often get emails from people asking if anyone is using solar power to take the place of some of the electricity used from the grid. The answer is, “Yes,” and one of the companies working on this technology is Nissan.
The company’s Sakura compact urban car has been the most popular EV in Japan for the past three years and its 20-kWh battery will take you 112 miles on a charge. But now it will take you farther thanks to the addition of a roof-mounted solar system.
Nissan has installed a product called the AO-Solar Extender on a Sakura prototype which was showcased at the Japan Mobility Show on October 30th. Nissan tells us that the system can generate enough solar electricity to provide 1,864 miles of electric driving per year.
The solar roof lets the vehicle draw power from the sun and it operates both when the car is driving or parked. While parked, the roof panel can extend outward to increase surface area so it can collect additional solar energy. Nissan says it can generate an additional 500 Watts of power when fully extended on a sunny day.
When the panel is closed while you’re driving, the system can still generate 300 Watts of juice even on a windy day, and up to 80 Watts on a cloudy, rainy day. While many car companies have showcased solar roof panels on prototypes, Nissan says it will launch the AO-Solar Extender commercially soon.
Automakers with Solar Roofs
Hyundai, Toyota, and Nissan have released or are developing EVs with solar roofs, with Hyundai offering it on the Sonata Hybrid and Ioniq 5, and Nissan showcasing an extendable solar roof for its Sakura EV. Toyota has offered an optional solar roof on the Prius Prime hybrid and is considering a similar system for its bZ electric vehicle. Several other auto companies, including Fisker, Lightyear, and Aptera, are producing or developing vehicles with integrated solar technology.
Aptera Motors is working on a three-wheeled solar-powered vehicle, Fisker has plans to release its Ocean One SUV with a solar-powered retractable moon-roof, and Lightyear EVs hope to have solar panels on their roof and hood.
For more information on the future of solar-powered cars, stay tuned here on GreenCars.
* All mileage is EPA estimated.
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