Ingenious: Automobile tarpaulin with solar battery disappears in the bumper

Increase range and protect paint

The French manufacturer Armor showed a car tarpaulin with built-in solar cells, which can be unfolded and folded again with the push of a button. Parked electric cars are protected by this and can charge the battery.

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Anyone who parks a car under a tree at the wrong time of the year may regret it. Resin, pollen, dust-all of this will be permanently added to the paint. Therefore, some people who park their cars unprotected for a long time rely on the car cover. However, these are usually troublesome to add.

The solution proposed by the French Armor company has not yet been fully developed, but it is definitely worth a look. At the push of a button, the tarpaulin stretches along the guide cable connected to the vehicle. When not in use, the tarpaulin will disappear into the rear bumper as soon as possible. This process only takes a few minutes.

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Another highlight: the flexible photovoltaic module is integrated into the cover. Similar modules have already been used in vehicles from manufacturers such as Toyota in the roof area. However, they are firmly connected to the car here. As the manufacturer told French Photovoltaic Magazine, the solar module built into the tarpaulin can be folded at least 50,000 times before reducing efficiency.

How many kilometers may be added to load this special tarpaulin, which of course depends on the vehicle selected. We assume that even an ultra-light vehicle like the Gazelle Tech model is only enough for five to ten kilometers. But taking into account the fact that most of the time most cars are parked on the roadside, and because of the tarpaulin, they can also be well protected from the weather.

Price and availability

Car tarpaulins with solar cells are still in the prototype state. The price and date of listing are unknown.

When buying electric vehicles, the achievable mileage is very important for many customers, especially for this reason, manufacturers are trying to increase the range of electric vehicles in various ways. Solar cells are one of them. For example, Tesla will provide a solar option for a powerful network truck with a trunk lid, which will extend the cruising range by 30 to 40 kilometers.

The French EP Tender company has adopted a different, equally unconventional method to expand the range of electric vehicles. The quick-change battery trailer has an additional 60 kWh, which provides additional storage space and is said to be usable even in small cars.