The Value of Solar Mobility

The Value of
Solar Mobility

🗓 June 28, 2021 – 📖 6 min

Foreword from our Chairwoman

"It is an exciting time for ASOM and the Solar Mobility Industry. Vehicle integrated PV has really become the “new” area for PV integration. Excellent new research, innovations, and entrepreneurial activities are going on across the Gglobe to make the electric transportation future solar-powered. ASOM has almost tripled itsin the numbers of partners. We are seeing our impact and reach expanded on social media and other platforms. We are planning some great live events over the next few months, which we hope will contribute to a greater sense of community. OAnd our first research contributions, in which we will discuss the business opportunities and technical challenges of Solar Mobility, will be published in the coming months. We look forward to sharing all of these developments with you and continuing to be ASOM."

Dr. Bonna Newman

Chairwoman ASOM

The goal of the European Green Deal is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Since transport accounts for 25% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, there is a need for a shift towards a green form of mobility. With the emergence of electric mobility, a new market has risen. However, it is still predicted that only half of every new car sold worldwide (56M) will be electric in 2040. Electric mobilities are very dependent on electricity supply and could double the electricity supply of households. A new challenge has been born: can the grid and the charging infrastructure deal with the uprise of electric mobility? The initial answer is no.

ASOM offers a solution for the energy system challenge, and will accelerate the sustainable development of mobility with the proposed solution, namely solar mobility. Solar mobility solves the three major market problems regarding the rise of the electrification of the mobility sector, identified as range, charging infrastructure, and price:

1. Less grid dependent

The range of an electric vehicle will be enlarged with the use of solar energy, solving the problem of range anxiety. This makes the consumer less dependent on the grid.

2. Lower charging frequency

The current charging infrastructure lacks capacity, for example notably on long-distance travel and low populated areas. Bottlenecks along high-traffic routes are bound to occur more often, leading to excessive waiting periods during peak moments. Solar will mitigate this problem, with vehicles having their own on-board charging system in the form of solar panels.

3. Cost efficient solution

The closer the energy source is to the location where it’s needed, the lower the costs. Electricity from renewable energy sources is great for reducing CO2 emissions. However, we are still dependent on expensive transportation of renewable electricity. Not to mention, that using electricity in peak times, e.g. charging after work, will significantly increase in price. As prices of solar technology are only expected to decrease, the only thing to worry about is the area where to place the solar panels. Directly charging the vehicle with solar energy produced on its own surface, mitigates these problems.

Building a strong community - Become part of ASOM!

The Solar Mobility Industry is a new and growing value chain comprised ofing companies, organizations and research institutes developing photovoltaic-based solutions for efficient, convenient and eco-friendly transportation. ASOM strives to build a strong community that will accelerate the adoption of Solar Mobility. The collaboration of a wide scope of innovative companies and established research institutions will ensure this goal to be achieved as soon as possible, and will make the world a sunnier place.

🌞Only together, we can shape the future to a sunnier one🌞