Just playing with hydrogen is not enough BMW’s new patent exposure: ultra-thin solar panels

On the road of exploring new energy, many car companies are making continuous efforts, and as a real clean energy, solar energy will naturally be noticed.

According to recent news, according to overseas media reports, BMW has applied for a new patent with the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA): a new method of placing ultra-thin solar panels on the outer glass of the car, which is expected to improve power generation efficiency and greatly reduce the cost of vehicles. The entry of inner light.

The practice of installing solar panels in cars is not new. Many high-end manufacturers began to experiment with solar panels in the late last century. They usually install solar panels on the sunroof panel to power the car’s ventilation system.

The top model of Toyota’s first pure electric SUV model bZ4X, which was launched not long ago, also applied this technology. It is equipped with a solar charging dome, which can absorb energy for about 1800km per year, which is about 5 kilometers per day.

Then the disadvantages are obvious. First, it is expensive. Second, the power generation efficiency is too low. In addition, it is greatly affected by weather conditions, so it has not been widely promoted.

However, BMW’s patent application is quite different from the previous ones. These new solar panels will cover the sunroof, front and rear windshields and side glass, and will generate more electricity.

The secret to achieving such an effect lies in the newly developed ultra-thin Vapor-deposited solar modules, which can be applied directly on the glass. This kind of solar modules has a very long service life, but there are also disadvantages. Their efficiency in power generation is lower than traditional ones. Solid photovoltaic (PV) panels.

These solar modules are also almost completely transparent, which is not very effective when applied to lightweight coatings, and can become more efficient at harvesting energy if used more intensively, at the cost of less transparency.

Based on such product characteristics, BMW will cover the driver’s line of sight area of ​​the front windshield with a very thin layer of solar modules to maintain a light transmittance of up to 95%, while spraying a thicker product around the edge of the windshield, Side windows, sunroofs and rear windshields will also be coated with thicker layers of solar modules, reducing light transmission to between 50% and 80%, making solar module coatings more efficient.

If the effect is feasible, for example, you can drive 100 kilometers a day just by basking in the sun. For urban consumers with better sunshine conditions, using such a car to travel will greatly save the cost (regardless of the car purchase cost).