Among the dozens of new electric vehicles on the market, hardly any come equipped with photovoltaic panels that could replenish their batteries with solar energy. Some models come with solar arrays from the factory, but they are exceptions rather than the norm.

But why? The simple answer is that solar panels don’t produce enough electricity to justify their cost, especially for automakers building hundreds of thousands of vehicles every year. This doesn’t mean they are absent from all passenger cars, just that they are rare, even among fully electric vehicles.

Let’s explore which production cars have factory-fitted solar panels, examine in detail why they aren’t more popular, and look to the future.

Why Aren’t Solar Panels More Common in Electric Vehicles?

Manufacturers have opted against giving their electric vehicles solar panels because, while they do provide some extra electricity, they don’t make enough of it to be worthwhile. Even in those vehicles that do have them, the arrays are small.

Fisker Ocean EV solar roof
Image Credit: Fisker

This means the electricity they produce is not used to top up the vehicle’s battery, but rather to help run some secondary systems, like climate control and lighting. You need a lot more surface area covered by solar cells to produce meaningful amounts of electricity—which is why Tesla offers solar panels for your home.

However, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the cost of photovoltaic cells per watt produced was $0.27 in 2022, compared to $2.15 in 2010. This means we should start to see more vehicles with solar cells soon, especially as electric cars become more commonplace (and their range is one of the key selling points.)

Which Production Cars Have Solar Panels?

Automakers began putting solar panels on their cars way before the arrival of mass-market electric vehicles. Audi, for instance, offered one on its A8 flagship sedan launched in 1999. It replaced the standard sunroof, and the electricity it produced was used to keep the car’s ventilation running even when the vehicle was parked.

The first Nissan Leaf EV (on sale between 2010 and 2016) was available with a small optional solar panel embedded in the vehicle’s rear spoiler. In this case, the array was only designed to keep the vehicle’s 12-volt battery topped up without needing to draw from the big traction battery that runs the hybrid system.

Toyota also offered a similar solution for the second-generation Prius hybrid built between 2003 and 2009, but it only provided a trickle into the 12-volt battery, just enough to run the climate system.

Then the automaker gave its fourth-gen Prius (sold from 2015 until 2022) a solar roof option, but this time it was a much bigger array, spanning almost the entire surface of its roof. At the time of its launch, Toyota said that with this optional solar roof, the Prius plug-in could get 10 percent better fuel efficiency, allowing the vehicle to run longer on electricity alone. This option was only offered in Japan and Europe; it didn’t make it to North America.

Toyota Prius With Solar Roof
Image Credit: Panasonic

Excitingly, Toyota announced it will offer a solar roof option for the fifth-generation Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, unveiled in late 2022.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is another vehicle that comes with an available solar charging option, which the manufacturer says can add 3 miles (5 km) of free range each day. This may not sound significant, but it can add up to nearly 1,240 miles (2,000 km) over the course of one year.

The Troubled Development of Solar Electric Vehicles

One of the most promising solar-powered EVs was the Sono Motors Sion. The product of a German mobility startup, its party piece was the integration of solar cells in all its body panels.

Whereas most vehicles limit the solar array to their roof area, the Sion also had them on its hood, quarter panels, doors, and even the hatch in the back. Sono Motors said it could augment the Sion’s rated WLTP range of 189 miles (305 km) by over 124 miles (200 km) per week in the summer and by around 20 miles (32 km) in the winter.

Unfortunately, Sono Motors scraped its electric car business in February 2023, pivoting to selling solar vehicle technology to other businesses, so the Sion is unlikely to ever see the light of day.

Another startup, Lightyear Motors, came very close to launching the world’s first solar EV, the Lightyear 0, but the plug was eventually pulled on the project, even as manufacturing of the very first production vehicles had commenced.

Then the company announced it was shifting its focus to a much more affordable model, the Lightyear 2, but it has faced financial difficulties. It’s not clear if either of these models will ever see the end of a production line.

Upcoming Solar Electric Vehicles

None of the production vehicles discussed earlier rely on their solar arrays to produce any kind of meaningful range. However, there are several vehicles hopefully launching in 2023 whose photovoltaic panels will noticeably extend their range, in some cases even negating the need to plug the vehicles in (for use cases when the user’s daily commute is short.)

Probably the most exciting and best-known upcoming solar EV is from US-based startup Aptera. Its three-wheeler adopts a radical design that prioritizes low weight and low drag above all else. With all the available solar panels fitted, the innovative Aptera solar EV will apparently crack 1,000 miles (1,609 km) on one charge.

Aptera Solar EV
Image Credit: Aptera

There’s also the Fisker Ocean electric crossover, which will get an optional solar roof option called SolarSky. Its makers say this will be good for over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of free range annually, or more if you drive your vehicle in a place that’s sunny throughout the year, like California.

Solar Panels In Cars Will Become More Commonplace

Expect to see an increasing number of vehicles with solar arrays in the near future. Between the ever lower cost of photovoltaic cells and the shift to electric vehicles, more automakers will surely go down this route.

This trend will really take off once a manufacturer brings a model with significant solar charging to market and that model proves to be a success. The company closest to achieving this right now is Sono Motors, but there’s also Mercedes-Benz, which revealed the EQXX concept with a similarly large solar array on the roof. While the manufacturer has refrained from sharing full details, they promise to be some of the most efficient electric vehicles on the market.