Mercedes-Benz is researching solar paint that could generate enough electricity for more than 7,430 miles of driving per year, according to a recent press release. 

The solar modules could be applied to the bodywork of electric vehicles, similar to a “wafer-thin layer of paste,” the release says. The modules are 5 micrometers thin, or thinner than human hair, and weigh 50 grams per square meter. 

It says an area of 118.4 square feet, the surface size of a mid-size SUV, would be needed to hit the 7,456 miles per year mark. It adds the photovoltaic surface can be applied to any substance. 

The solar cells have a high efficiency of 20% and are fed directly into the high-voltage battery, the release said. The system will be permanently active and generate energy while the vehicle is switched off. 

Levels of shade, intensity of the sun, and geographical location can impact the amount of energy produced, the release said. Los Angeles, for example, would likely have a surplus of solar energy, which could be used for 100% of the driving average for the region. It adds any surplus could be fed directly into the home network for bidirectional charging.

“Solar paint has a high level of efficiency and contains no rare-earths or silicon — only non-toxic, readily available raw materials,” the release says. “It is easy to recycle and considerably cheaper to produce than conventional solar modules. The Mercedes-Benz research department is currently working to enable use of the new solar paint on all exterior vehicle surfaces, regardless of shape or angle.” 

An article from Motortrend says the company tested the idea last week during a showcase at its R&D center in Sindelfingen, Germany. 

“Each body panel needs to be galvanically isolated and wired into a power converter that sends the electricity to the battery or directly to the motors,” the article says. “The solar material is topped with a nanoparticle-based paint that allows 94 percent of the sun’s energy to reach the photovoltaic coating while offering a full spectrum of color choices. Darker colors capture more energy than lighter hues, with the coated body panels achieving up to 20 percent efficiency in turning sunlight into electricity. That’s on par with today’s commercially available solar panels.”

Motortrend says it is too soon to know if the solar paint will make it to production. 

BMW could be producing its color-changing technology as soon as 2027, according to a September article by Driven. 

The company first revealed its E Ink technology during the 2022 Consumer Electronic Show. E Ink allows consumers to change the exterior shade of their vehicle. 

E Ink is made up of millions of tiny microcapsules filled with white and black pigments that are moved up or down using an electric field to change the surface color, Repairer Driven News previously reported. The technology is found in eReaders, cell phones, medical wearables, logistical tags, and digital signs.

E Ink U.S. Regional Business Unit Assistant Vice President Tim O’Malley told RDN in 2022 that repair details were unknown at that point.

“How a manufacturer would go into actual production would determine the repairs process,” he said. “However, because it’s a film, a collision repairer can assume that repairing a section of the car would also suggest a section of the film would be replaced as well.”

Earlier this year, Toyota published a patent that would allow customers to change the color of their vehicles with thermal energy technology. 

If Toyota uses the technology, they could manufacture a vehicle in a single color of paint that is responsive to thermal energy, the patent says. White is given as an example of that color. 

The vehicle would be distributed to all dealerships as the base color. This method could eliminate overhead costs from ordering different paint colors for new vehicles, the patent says. It also could prevent vehicles from sitting on a lot for extended periods of time when certain colors do not appeal to potential buyers, it says. 

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Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz