Technology

Mercedes-Benz working on sun-absorbing EV body panels

The German automaker has been trying to design a special body coating that would enable electric cars to source some of their electricity straight from the sunlight – no add-on panels required.

The innovative solution being proposed comes in the form of minuscule photovoltaic particles mixed into generic car enamel. Under ideal conditions, EVs may be able to draw enough energy from these particles to cover 14,000 km (8,700 miles) per year. That’s 39 km or 24 miles of free range per day on average.

Of course, “ideal conditions” is the big catch here. It remains to be seen how efficient the proposed painting method turns out in real-life applications.

Editor: Andrew Raspopov

April 30, 2025