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Mercedes To Start Offering Solar Roofs For Its EVs In 2024 To Boost Drive Range
Mercedes-Benz to start offering solar roofs for its electric vehicles (EVs) in 2024 to boost drive range.
Mercedes will borrow the tech from its new Vision EQXX solar-powered concept car.
The solar roof on the Mercedes Vision EQXX can add up to 15.5 miles (25 km) of range per day.
Vision EQXX is capable of exceeding 1,000 kilometers (648 miles) on a single battery charge.
Earlier this month, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Vision EQXX, a solar-powered concept car that is capable of exceeding 1,000 kilometers (648 miles) on a single charge.
One of the outstanding features of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX is the solar roof which the automaker claim can add up to 15.5 miles (25 km) of drive range per day.
During the Vision EQXX’s presentation, Mercedes chief technology officer Markus Schafer said that owners of future EV models will have the option of solar roofs for their EVs to help to boost their drive range.
“So, customers probably will have the choice in the future to opt for complete glass roofs uninterrupted, or solar roofs, which are extremely aesthetically attractive, but also the benefit of putting additional energy into the battery,”
“We work with the German research institute of Fraunhofer… who co-developed with us, solar panels, a very very efficient solar panel roof which we’re putting in our vehicles, and that’s the idea with series vehicles in the future, probably starting 2024 with an increasing number of solar roofs in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”
Exceeding 1,000 kilometers (648 miles) on a single battery charge will allow the Vision EQXX to drive from New York City to Cincinnati, or Berlin to Paris, or Bejing to Nanjing, before running out of juice.
In comparison, long-range EVs currently on the road today, including the Lucid Air (520 miles) and Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, will drive 520 miles and 402 miles respectively on a single charge.
If the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX finally makes it to production, it could rival other luxury EVs like the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-tron GT and Tesla Roadster.
