It generates 500W when fully extended and can add 1,864 miles of driving range annually.
As we’ve seen with Toyota’s Prius Prime, putting a solar panel on a car’s roof is a nifty idea but can only gain you a few free miles a day due to the limited size. With a new prototype of its hyper-popular Sakura “kei” EV, Nissan has the answer: a bigger solar panel roof called the AO-Solar Extender. When fully stretched out on a sunny day, it can add about 1,864 miles of driving distance a year and power multiple accessories.
Nissan Leaf (Image: T. Larkum/Tanjent)
The panel works whether you’re driving or parked. When extended (in “solar pompadour” mode as my colleague put it), it generates 500 watts on sunny days. At the same time, it helps block sunlight from the windshield,
“reducing cabin temperature and lowering the need for air conditioning power consumption,” Nissan noted.
Read more: Engadget
