Electric Cars Going Solar

One of the perceived barriers to the widespread adoption of plug-in electric cars has been the cost of charging the electric car's battery, and the public availability of charging stations. The high mileage from electric cars is attractive to potential customers, but the savings is offset by the cost of power needed to charge an electric vehicle in your home garage or in a public parking space.

One possible solution that seems to be gaining traction is the use of solar power to charge electric cars; an eco-friendly bonanza for those who see highly-efficient electric vehicles as a key part of their commitment to the environment.

Ford recently announced that it will team with SunPower to offer rooftop solar panels that will help charge the Ford Focus Electric plug-in sedan due in showrooms in New York and California later this year, and nationwide in 2012.

"In effect, you are driving a solar-powered car," says SunPower CEO Tom Werner of the system, designed to provide enough power to drive the Ford Focus 1,000 miles per month.

Ford calls the solar option it's "Drive Green for Life" program, and is directly targeting the most environmentally conscious consumers.

"Under the 'Drive Green for Life' program, Focus Electric owners can reduce their total cost of ownership by generating enough energy from their high efficiency SunPower rooftop solar system to offset the electricity required to charge the vehicle at night," says Mike Tinskey, Ford director of Global Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. "It's an eco-friendly solution that perfectly complements our plug-in products and other green initiatives."

Publicly-accessible solar powered electric car charging stations have been popping up in locations across the country.

• California has a series of solar-powered chargers in Rabobank branch parking lots along Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
• General Motors has invested in a company that makes solar canopies that both provide shade and generate power for electric cars in parking lots, and has installed some at Chevrolet dealers selling the Chevy Volt electric car.
• In Denver, travelers using the Denver International Airport can park at nearby Canopy Parking, where electric cars can be charged for free while owners are on a trip. The lot generates power from solar energy, as well as wind turbines, which is used for the lot's electric lights and to charge electric vehicles.

Car makers hope the combination of solar power and plug-in electric vehicles sparks the imagination of environmentally minded consumers the way the introduction of hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius did several years ago.

"It's pretty brilliant marketing," says Ron Cogan, publisher of the Green Car Journal. "It's going to introduce a whole new crowd of people to solar power who might not have gone there otherwise."