This was the year of CES email spam at its peak. I won't be speaking in Las Vegas in 2023 at a giant consumer tech event, but a speech that almost, well, part of it makes me regret it because it sounds like a great idea. It is a new city car from the Dutch company Squad Mobility. A relatively clunky thing to be honest, but it offers an exciting solution to the problem of city dwellers who need electric cars but can't charge them.
This is because the Squad Solar City Car, as its name suggests, uses solar energy to recharge its batteries. This is not a new idea; Solar-powered cars have been running, albeit somewhat slower, for years. Ars even traveled to one place, Manhattan.
But there are always compromises. This solar powered treadmill is an ultralight creation with minimal drag. As everyday transport, they even make classic car owners cringe because they are uncomfortable.
The problem is that while solar panels are a great way to generate power, it takes a large enough area to store enough energy to run something that uses a lot of energy, like a car. Covering the sedan's roof with photovoltaic cells, as Hyundai did with the Sonata hybrid, can produce 600 watts of peak power, enough to run on AC power and charge a 12-volt battery.
An alternative is a slide-out panel that is loaded. This is the approach of a group of Dutch students from the Eindhoven University of Technology, but it takes two or three days to refuel a car.
Lightyear (another Dutch company, and you're feeling the theme yet?) is making something more traditional in car form, a very fancy sedan with a fairing called the 0. This one is also powered by solar panels and has the fastest speed. 1 kW recharge rate from roof-mounted panels, which can increase range to 43 miles (70 km) on the clearest day. Is there a trap here? The sale price is 262,000 dollars (250,000 euros) and the fact that less than 1,000 will be built.
Which brings us back to the Squad, a solar-powered city car designed by some ex-Lightyear employees. Much smaller than the example mentioned above, it complies with US Low Speed Vehicle regulations and is designed for electric vehicles that have a speed limit of 25 mph (40 km/h).
Built on a strong steel frame, this solar-powered city car was designed with practicality in mind. On the roof there is a solar panel with a maximum power of 250 watts, which feeds a battery with a capacity of 6.4 kWh. It has three-point seat belts and even cup holders, but the biggest draw is probably the price: $6,585 (€6,250) when it goes on sale in the US in 2024. These batteries power a pair of 2kW motors, one each. rear wheel.
Squad says that on a clear day in the Netherlands, the solar panels increase the range to 13.6 miles (22 km) per day; in sunny Las Vegas, it can be up to 19.2 miles (31 km). The battery is replaceable and portable, and when fully charged it has a range of up to 100 km. And yes, you can charge it by plugging it into a 110V AC outlet when it's weak.
"We're seeing a lot of interest from the United States, particularly in markets like platform exchanges, gated communities, campuses, (beach) resorts, tourism, corporate land, hotels and resorts, theme parks, and downtown amenities," he said. Robert Hoovers. , co-founder of Squad.
