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Hyundai announces solar charging system for future vehicles Hyundai announces solar charging system for future vehicles

Hyundai announces solar charging system for future vehicles

Finding a plug may be a thing of the past.

Hyundai Motor Group, parent company of Hyundai and Kia, has announced plans to introduce new solar panel technology on select vehicle models beginning in 2020.

Hyundai says it will roll out its new solar tech in three phases. The first will use a silicon solar panel system that will attach to a vehicle's roof. The second phase of the plan will see Hyundai transition to a semi-transparent roof system that will allow light to pass through, enabling the system to be used on cars with panoramic sunroofs. In the third phase, Hyundai will develop a lightweight system that can be applied to a vehicle's roof and hood.

Hyundai's first-generation solar roof system will launch on the company's hybrid models. According to Hyundai, the solar panel system will be able to charge 30 to 60 percent of the vehicle's battery per day, depending on weather conditions.

The second-generation semi-transparent solar charging system will be used for electric and gas-powered vehicles. Hyundai hasn't specifically spelled out how the solar panel system will work for vehicles with an internal combustion engine, but the company says the system will store solar-generated energy in an "additionally” battery. That could mean that Hyundai will soon move to a mild-hybrid system for its conventionally powered vehicles.

Once Hyundai gets to the third-generation of its solar roof system, it'll be able to mount the panels on more body surfaces -- including a vehicle's hood -- for maximum energy collection.

"In the future, various types of electricity generating technologies, including the solar charging system, will be connected to vehicles. This will enable them to develop from a passive device that consumes energy to a solution that actively generates energy,” said Jeong-Gil Park, Executive Vice President of Engineering Design Division of Hyundai Motor Group. "The paradigm of the vehicle owner will shift from that of a consumer to an energy prosumer.”

Hyundai hasn't announced how long it will take to get the third-generation of its solar charging system, but the company says the first-generation system should be commercial available "after 2019.”

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