Hanergy Glory, a leading Chinese thin-film PV-cell firm, has made a major stride towards the development of its PV-panel electric cars; in a recently completed test, the car was able to run for as much as 20 kilometers/day for 30 straight days without charging. This marks a major improvement over its previous test in 2016, when its PV-panel electric car ran 80 kilometers in one day without charging.
According to the recently performed test, the battery of the PV panel electric car was still able to maintain a capacity of around 60-80% after driving for 30 straight days. The car can be driven for an additional 30-80 kilometers after that, which underscores its ability to meet the world's daily commuting needs. The PV-powered car was developed jointly with Joylong Automobile.
As a square lightweight car with a shape similar to Joylong's electric car, EM3, and the Japanese fuel-oil car, K-Car, the Hanergy car is furnished with a high-performance thin-film solar panel, which is designed to cope with the difficulty of finding charging posts for electric cars.
According to the company, the specially designed thin-film solar panels are able to generate power even during cloudy days. The CEO of Hanergy, Lu Tao, points out that the company is currently seeking to cooperate with other car makers to install its solar panels on their electric cars as a standard equipment.
The company’s plan is currently in line with the world’s long-term goal of banning fuel-oil cars. With the recent advances in technology, a growing number of the industry’s automakers are already taking active steps to develop electric cars with a PV-panel roof as a supplementary power source. This includes the hybrid cars with high-performance PV panels that are currently being tested by Toyota and NEDO of Japan. Recently, a Hyundai electric-car model with a PV-panel top has also hit the market.