Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept gives us a glimpse of a clean vehicle future

Ford has announced the C-Max Solar Energi Concept, a first of its kind solar powered vehicle that aims to deliver the best from a hybrid. Instead of powering its battery from an electrical outlet, Ford's C-Max Solar Energi Concept harnesses solar energy via special concentrators, on the roof mounted solar panel, that acts like a magnifying glass.

The solar panels absorb a day's worth of sunlight - to deliver the same performance as a conventional C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, which draws its power from the electric grid.

The concept is a collaborative project of Ford, SunPower Corp. and Georgia Institute of Technology, and will be on display at the 2014 CES show in Las Vegas.

SunPower, Ford's solar technology partner since 2011, is providing high-efficiency solar cells for the roof of the Solar Energi Concept.

Due to the extended time it takes to absorb enough energy to fully charge the vehicle, Ford turned to Georgia Institute of Technology for a way to amplify the sunlight in order to make a solar-powered hybrid feasible for daily use. 

Researchers developed an off-vehicle solar concentrator that uses a special Fresnel lens to direct sunlight to the solar cells while boosting the impact of the sunlight by a factor of eight. Fresnel is a compact lens originally developed for use in lighthouses.

The patent-pending system tracks the sun as it moves from east to west, drawing enough power from the sun to equal a four-hour battery charge. With a full charge, the Solar Energi Concept is estimated to have a total range of up to 997km, including up to 33km of emissions free driving. Additionally, the vehicle still has a charge port, and can be charged via a charging station.

Internal Ford data suggest the sun could power up to 75 percent of all trips made by an average driver in a solar hybrid vehicle - an important factor where electric grid infrastructure is underdeveloped, unreliable or expensive to use. 

The positive environmental impact from the Solar Energi concept could be significant from reducing annual carbon emissions and other greenhouse gas emissions. According to Ford, annual greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by approximately one billion metric tons, if all light-duty vehicles in the U.S.A adopt the technology in the C-Max Solar Energi Concept.