Electric solar rooftops enhance electric car distance travel, though they remain a seldom-adopted approach
In the automotive industry, solar roof technology is gaining traction as a potential solution for energy savings in electric and hybrid vehicles. Jan Henning Mehlfeldt, a board member at Webasto, sees the roof as the perfect place for this technology, and manufacturers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Fisker are following suit.
Toyota has been offering a solar roof on the Prius since 2010, providing an additional 3-4 miles of all-electric range per day and powering auxiliary systems like ventilation, reducing the load on the main battery. The current 2025 model year Prius solar roof costs $610 in the USA, while the system in the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited provides similar range to the Prius system.
Fisker, a startup aiming to launch an electric vehicle in 2024, used a retractable solar roof on its Ocean SUV, intended to contribute energy for up to 2,000 miles (3,219 km) of charging per year in sunny regions. The solar roof was developed with German supplier Webasto.
However, the adoption of solar roof technology has been more modest than anticipated. Hyundai offered solar roofs on the Sonata Hybrid and an Ioniq 5 EV variant outside the USA, but later discontinued them due to minimal range improvement. Maximilian Hofbeck from Webasto's product management stated that solar cell efficiency has increased, with the Fisker roof achieving over 23% efficiency and up to 27% possible in the future.
Despite the challenges, the interest in solar roof technology is growing, particularly in Europe, China, and the USA. Cooper Ericksen of Toyota North America acknowledged that solar technology is not cheap, but Webasto continues to see potential in this technology. The goal is to provide a consumer benefit, with the aim of offering five to ten free miles from the solar feature.
The future of solar roof technology in electric and hybrid vehicles looks promising. Combining solar roofs with home solar panel systems and smart EV chargers can reduce overall EV ownership costs by up to 40%. As large-scale solar energy storage capacity expands globally, overlapping developments in EV-integrated solar tech and smart energy management systems could unlock greater independence from the grid.
In summary, today’s solar roofs on electric and hybrid vehicles offer limited but useful range extension and auxiliary power benefits. With technological improvements and integration with home solar systems and smart chargers, solar roof technology has the potential to significantly improve cost-effectiveness and reduce reliance on grid electricity.
- The automotive industry is not only exploring solar roof technology in vehicles, but also in collaboration with the finance sector for potential investments, as they see the potential for cost reductions and increased efficiency in electric and hybrid vehicles.
- The technology sector is also playing a role in this advancement, with companies like Fisker working with technology suppliers to develop high-efficiency solar roofs, aiming for 27% efficiency in the future.
- With increasing interest in solar roof technology, particularly in Europe, China, and the USA, the transportation industry, including automakers and energy companies, are looking into integrating solar roofs with smart energy management systems, part of a larger goal to reduce reliance on grid electricity and lower overall EV ownership costs by up to 40%.
