Hanergy Holding Group, the Chinese thin-film solar power company, launched four solar-powered vehicles at a ceremony dubbed “Disruptive Innovations Drive the Future” outside its Beijing headquarters, with CEO Li Hejun personally driving the Hanergy Solar R at its debut.
The vehicles feature user-friendly designs that allow selections of different traveling and weather modes: users can change the car’s charging mode along with changes in weather conditions through apps on their mobiles devices. The cars are also equipped with ultrasonic cleaning technology for maintenance of the solar cells.
Hanergy says that with five to six hours of sunlight, the thin-film solar cells on the vehicle are able to generate eight to ten kilowatt-hours of power a day, allowing it to travel about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the solar energy, which the company projects to over 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) annually. It would enable motorists not to have to rely on charging posts on most drives, since the car would produce sufficient power for shorter distances. (The cars will still be reliant on lithium batteries in the event of longer trips or if there’s insufficient sunlight.)
Hanergy has yet to disclose when the cars will hit the market.
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