Sono Motors Plans Solar Powered Car Reveal On July 27

What has room for six passengers, an all electric range of up to 155 miles, and a body covered in solar panels that can add as many as 18 miles of driving a day from sunlight? That would be the Sono Motors Sion, an innovative solar powered car from a team of German entrepreneurs that is scheduled to have its world debut on July 27.

The Sion project was able to move forward thanks to an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign last year that raised over a half million dollars. More than 1,000 people have participated so far. The car will have two versions. The Urban comes with a 14.4 kilowatt-hour battery pack. It has a range of about 75 miles and will cost $13,200. The Extender version has a 30 kilowatt-hour battery and a range of 155 miles. Its target price is $17,600. Neither price includes the battery. Like the Renault Zoe, customers will either buy the battery separately or lease it. The leasing option gives owners the flexibility to upgrade the battery later as improvements in battery technology become available.

The hood, roof and rear hatch of the Sion are covered with monocrystalline silicon cells that are 21% efficient. On a sunny day, they can generate enough electricity to add 18 miles of range. The solar cells are eight millimeters thick and embedded in a polycarbonate layer that is shatterproof, weather resistant and light in weight. The Sion can also be 80% charged using an AC outlet in about 30 minutes, according to company claims. No DC charging option is available. The car also comes with an outlet that can power electronic devices.

Inside, all the seats of the five door hatchback fold flat, offering multiple configurations for carrying passengers and cargo. There is a 10 inch center display and smartphone connectivity via wifi or Bluetooth. The ventilation system is called breSono and incorporates a dollop of moss, which is said to act as a natural filter when an electrical charge is applied.

The company will offer an online maintenance and repair system it calls reSono. It allows owners to order parts online and comes with a video that shows them how to install the parts when they arrive.  Or they can take the car and the parts to any local auto repair shop facility to get them installed.

Test drives will be available starting in September with production beginning next year. Sono is emulating the approach used by DHL with its electric delivery vans. It is sourcing most of the components to build its cars from existing OEM suppliers so it can concentrate on getting the design right and incorporating suggestions from its online community into the final product. The Sion is perhaps a bit small for American customers but it should appeal strongly to Europeans who live in crowded cities where parking is at a premium.

Source: Hybrid Cars

Job Growth In Solar And Renewable Energy Sector Outpaces Fossil Fuels

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) based in Dubai has just released a report that says jobs in the solar and renewable energy sectors are increasing faster than employment opportunities in fossil fuel industry for the first time. It says 8.1 million people worldwide had jobs in the clean energy in 2015, up from 7.7 million in 2014, according to Bloomberg.

“The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector,” said Adnan Amin, director general of IRENA. “This increase is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We expect this to continue as the case for renewables strengthens and countries move to achieve climate targets.”

The group projects the workforce in clean energy will grow to 24 million by 2030 if United Nations targets are met on climate change and development.

Since 2012, the number of US solar jobs has increased by 75% to 210,000. Oil and gas extraction remained flat and coal mining jobs have decreased. The loss of jobs in the oil and gas industries has been driven by the steep drop in prices for those fuels. Government incentives have helped job creation in the solar industry.

China leads all other nations in creating new jobs in the clean energy sector. It added 65 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity last year. It now employs 35% more people in its clean energy industry than in oil and gas. Other countries in Asia and Brazil are also boosting green energy employment. Most of those jobs in Brazil are concentrated in the biofuel industry. The clean energy sector’s global workforce is projected to jump to 24 million by 2030 from about 8.1 million last year.

The conventional wisdom among US political leaders is that renewable energy will destroy the US economy, throwing millions out of work and crashing the economy. They are spouting the same arguments once used to defend whaling and the Conestoga wagon industry from new technologies. Renewable energy will replace fossil fuels entirely in the foreseeable future and will bring millions of new job opportunities with it.

Source: AutoBlog  Graphic credit: Bloomberg

SunEdison & NASCAR Launch Hi-Tech Solar Partnership

NASCAR is awash in tradition when it comes to pushing the limits of stock car performance, but that hasn’t stopped the US auto racing organization from latching on to emerging clean tech hand over fist. In the latest move, NASCAR has just announced its first official Solar Energy Partner. That would be the world’s largest solar energy developer, SunEdison, which is now tasked with engaging fans, racing teams, suppliers, and track owners in solar energy.

The official announcement of the new solar energy partnership was thin on details, but last FridaySunEdison Senior VP Vikas Desai graciously made some time with Gas2.org on the phone to fill in some of the blanks.

The SunEdison/NASCAR Solar Partnership

According to Desai, the new partnership builds on the success of an earlier endeavor, in which SunEdison made itself a presence at Sonoma Raceway NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) venue in California.

SunEdison gave fans the opportunity to sign up for solar energy right at the racetrack, and the response was strong enough to warrant bumping it to the next level.

For the new partnership, SunEdison will expand its outreach to fans at NASCAR tracks. The company will also work with track owners to build new relationships for its cutting edge solar technology.

The ripple effect really kicks in regarding another element of the arrangement, in which SunEdison anticipates working with other NASCAR partners.

That will bring the solar energy message deep into the NASCAR supply chain, enabling the solar message to spread into new territory.

“Trying to have a big impact is the idea,” says Desai.

Working with NASCAR partners and the  could also lead to new initiatives with NASCAR partners that are already involved in sustainability action.

Coca-Cola, for example, is the official soft drink of NASCAR, and among its other activities the Coca-Cola Company is involved in watershed and habitat preservation in the US and elsewhere. That could result in some interesting interplay with SunEdison’s solar water pump solution for farmers in underdeveloped communities.

Another example is NASCAR’s partnership with ACORE, the American Council on Renewable Energy. Sponsored by Lockheed-Martin, the partnership aims at training the up-and-coming workforce for skilled jobs in the clean energy sector.

Why NASCAR?

Most major US sports organizations have been engaging fans in sustainability issues to one degree or another, but NASCAR appears to have the most comprehensive program in the form of its “NASCAR Green” initiative.

“First of all, we were really impressed with the NASCAR Green approach,” says Desai. “It’s a combination of renewable energy, recycling, and clean air.”

In addition to providing an umbrella for more than 60 “green” suppliers and other partners, NASCAR Green provides a platform for far-ranging fan outreach programs that could dovetail with solar energy. Some examples are highlighting electric vehicles through the Obama Administration’sWorkplace Charging Challenge, and recruiting alternative fuel vehicles — Ford’s Focus battery EV and Toyotai’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell EV — to serve as pace cars.

Also favoring the new partnership, NASCAR venue owners have already begun installing solar. Our sister site CleanTechnica took note when the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania gave its parking lot a solar makeover. Several other tracks are now sporting solar panels, giving fans an up-close look at the technology.

According to Desai, that kind of first-hand experience can have a significant effect on a homeowner’s willingness to try solar. To sweeten the pot, new financing instruments enable individuals to get rooftop installations with no out-of-pocket expenses, paying only for the energy they use:

If an employer has rooftop solar, it has quite an impact on solar penetration among employees. The validation is having solar at the racetrack. The individual homeowner can see that someone else has gone ahead and done the research. They can see how easy it is for the customer. Now, there is no risk.

NASCAR’s own fan research backs this up, as Desai notes:

The research shows that four out of five NASCAR fans see climate change as an issue, and two out of three want to do something about it, such as recycling or installing solar. These are amazing numbers.

The Message From SunEdison

With the NASCAR partnership, SunEdison hopes that the coast-to-coast, broad appeal of stock car racing will hammer home the message that everyone is affected by climate change, that Americans have to rally together to take action as a nation, and that ordinary individuals can also act for themselves, and transition to using safer and more sustainable forms of energy.

We’re betting that as the 2016 presidential race heats up, candidates (such as this guy) will be aiming to pump up their “ordinary” appeal by visiting NASCAR venues.

Given the SunEdison partnership on top of all the many other NASCAR green initiatives, it looks like the presidential hopefuls will be pumping up their renewable energy image as well — whether they like it or not.

Source: Gas2

“Solar Cars” Get Big Boost In California

First of all, let’s qualify the term “solar cars” here. Many people may simply assume that a solar car is a car with solar panels on top of it. But let’s think about this: if an electric car is powered by solar panels, is it not a solar car as well? A gasoline-powered car is considered a “gas car” and a diesel-powered car is considered a “diesel car,” so I’d say that a solar-powered car is a solar car.

Anyhow, tangent over. The news is that Envision Solar International has just won a statewide contract from the State of California to provide EV ARC™ products to California state departments and other state and local agencies or entities. In an email sent my way, Envision Solar noted, “This means that many CA government workers and employees will now be able to charge their electric vehicles with sunlight at their workplaces!”

Indeed!

Governor Jerry Brown’s Dreams Coming True…

As you may have presumed right now, this all stems back to some strong solar and electric vehicle moves made by California Governor Jerry Brown. In 2013, Governor Brown and California joined 7 other states in setting a target of having 3.3 electric cars on the road by 2025, with California setting a target of 1.5 million. Last year, despite already accounting for about 40% of all US electric car sales, Governor Brown signed 6 bills supporting the adoption of electric vehicles in various ways. Items of support included “increasing the number state issued stickers allowing zero emission vehicles to use the state’s high occupancy or diamond lanes from 55,000 to 70,000,” requiring “commercial and residential property owners to approve charging stations on their properties as long as requirements are met,” and offering special electric car incentives to low-income California residents.

Going back even further, “In 2012, Governor Brown announced a $120 million deal with NRG Energy to construct electric car charging stations across 1,000 locations in California.”

And jumping to April 2015, there’s also the clean energy aspect of all of this. California’s grid is already relatively clean compared to the rest of the US and the world, but it could be a lot greener. In April,Governor Brown “issued an executive order to reduce California GHGs by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.” That means a lot more solar energy (and electric cars), among other things. “Brown plans to lower California GHGs by increasing the role of renewable energy to 50% by the same date. As Brown stated in his January inaugural address, he also aims reduce petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50%, double the efficiency of existing buildings, and make heating fuel use cleaner. “

… Back To Solar Cars & Envision Solar

Envision Solar has been in the solar-powered EV charging space for a long time. I think “Foresight” must be its middle name. I’m happy to see it and CEO Desmond Wheatley getting rewarded for that.

“For Envision Solar, the contract means that it can ramp up operations in San Diego, expand its market to other state governments and hire more veterans and disabled workers,” Adrienne Hudson of Envision Solar wrote to me.

Regarding the specific solar electric car charging technology to be used, she added: “The EV ARC™ fits inside a single parking space and generates enough clean, solar electricity to power up to 150 miles of electric vehicle (EV) driving each day. It can charge up to three EVs simultaneously. Its installation requires no trenching, foundations, electrical work or construction of any kind.”

The solar EV charging system also uses solar tracking, EnvisionTrak™, to maximize its collection of solar rays and produce more electricity throughout the day — 18–25% more than a conventional solar panel array, in fact.

“California has about 40 percent of the United States’ EVs,” said Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Envision Solar. “Our EV ARC™ product is the perfect solution for a State that requires a scalable, sustainable and easily deployable EV charging infrastructure that does not require trenching or foundations and can be easily moved. We are thrilled to have won this contract and we are looking forward to growing our Californian work force to fulfill it.”

I imagine you noticed the comment above about who Envision Solar actually employees, but it’s worth some extra highlighting, in my humble opinion. Envision Solar is intent on hiring veterans, disabled people, and minorities. Not just in a small percentage, but across the board. How many companies do that?

Solar Cars Are The Future

Whether via Envision Solar’s EV ARC or Solar Tree or something else, the future of energy production is solar energy and the future of the car market is electricity, and the future is being produced as we speak.

Solar power prices have dropped off a cliff in the past few years, battery prices have been falling at a good rate, and there are too many consumer benefits to electric cars and solar energy for them to not take over their respective markets.

Record-low solar power prices keep getting hit. Within the past year or so, we’ve seen solar power price bids and PPAs under 5 cents/kWh in Austin, Texas (presumably about 8 cents/kWh unsubsidized), then 5.84 cents/kWh in Dubai, UAE, then under 4 cents/kWh in Austin, Texas (under 5.71 cents/kWh unsubsidized), and then starting at 3.87 cents/kWh in Nevada.

On the transportation side, we’ve seen the Tesla Model S named “car of the century” by Car & Driver, named a “Top 10 American Car” by Motor Trend, designated the most-loved car by owners via Consumer Reports surveys (with owners that are more loyal to Tesla than owners of any other car are loyal to their makers), rated the best car ever reviewed by Consumer Reports itself (2 years in a row receiving a rating of 99/100), and become the quickest mass-market car in history (by far). There are many reasons electric cars are better than gasmobiles, but the big ones that I think will drive the electric car revolution are that they are much more convenient and offer a much better driving experience, whether your aim is to have as much fun while accelerating as possible or to simply get onto the highway or into a roundabout with less stress.

The future is solar. The future is electric cars. The future is solar cars.