Expect solar roofs on selected Kia and Hyundai models by 2019

Kia and Hyundai have announced plans to introduce electricity-generating solar roof chargers on selected vehicles by 2019. To be installed either on the roof or bonnet of cars, the technology is being developed to support internal combustion, hybrid and battery-driven electric vehicles (EV) with additional electrical power, increasing fuel efficiency and range.

Said to be capable of charging 30% to 60% of a hybrid vehicle’s battery over the course of an ideal weather day, the semi-transparent solar roof will be applied to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and can be integrated with a panoramic sunroof for dual roles brightening up cabins while charging the vehicle’s battery.

“In the future, we expect to see many different types of electricity-generating technologies integrated into our vehicles. The solar roof is the first of these and means that automobiles no longer passively consume energy, but will begin to produce it actively,” said the developer of the technology Jeong-Gil Park, executive vice-president of the engineering and design division of Hyundai Motor Group.