This Nissan Ariya can charge itself through solar energy
EV charging infrastructure may be everywhere in most big cities, but outside, it remains scarce. That’s a problem that this piece of technology wants to resolve.
Say hello to the solar-powered Nissan Ariya concept which aims to eliminate EV range anxiety by reducing the need to charge by making use of the world’s most abundant renewable energy source–the Sun.
This concept was developed by engineers from Nissan’s Advanced Product Planning team in Dubai and Powertrain Planning team in Barcelona, and is equipped with 3.80sqm of high‑efficiency photovoltaic panels integrated into the vehicle’s hood, roof, and tailgate.
These polymer and glass-based solar panels convert sunlight into DC power, managed through an advanced controller that’s designed to optimize energy use and reduce reliance on external charging infrastructure.
In ideal conditions, the system should be able to deliver up to 23km of additional range per day. High solar exposure cities could help the vehicle generate an average of 17.6km of additional range with year‑round averages showing significant gains globally at 10.2km per day in London, 18.9km per day in New Delhi, and 21.2km per day in Dubai.
Long distance testing, including a 1,550km journey between the Netherlands and Barcelona, demonstrated that solar integration could cut annual charging visits from 23 to just eight for drivers who do 6,000km a year.
For a tropical country like ours which receives a lot of sun exposure, do you think this kind of built-in solar charging technology would work, especially with the lack of charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas?
