Fuyao, a China-based vendor of all kinds of automotive glass products, claims it has finally devised a production-ready panoramic roof that doubles as a solar panel. While the development of such a roof has been ongoing for years, this version is said to be good enough to hit the market in several months.
The multi-layer glass structure generates around 150 watts per square meter, which is quite lackluster by modern photovoltaic element standards. As a consequence, this kind of roof can’t supply enough current to charge the traction battery. Instead, the company envisions its use for secondary applications, like powering the HVAC or the dash cam.
There are still no specific availability dates or prices. The media in China claim that BYD is also interested in getting these “photovoltaic pano roofs”, and expects them to be an 8,000-Yuan option on average. This converts to 1,190 USD.