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From Buildings to Car Wheels: Another Example of BIPV Technology Extending to Electric Vehicles—Deep Orange 17

Release Time:

2026-11-05

From Buildings to Car Wheels: Another Example of BIPV Technology Extending to Electric Vehicles—Deep Orange 17

Deep Orange 17 is an electric prototype vehicle designed to generate more energy than it consumes in typical urban commuting scenarios.

Students at Clemson University in South Carolina have developed a solar‑integrated electric vehicle. Named the Deep Orange 17, the vehicle is designed to generate more energy than it consumes during a typical urban commute. According to a university press release, its solar power system forms the core of the vehicle’s propulsion strategy, rather than serving merely as an auxiliary feature. The photovoltaic system incorporates more than 1,700 solar cells distributed across the vehicle’s exterior, enabling it to harvest energy both when parked and while in motion. The photovoltaic array is protected by a durable outer membrane.

“The system continuously replenishes the vehicle’s energy storage using solar power, helping to offset the energy consumed during everyday driving,” the university explained in a statement. The car’s structure also incorporates structural steel, aluminum components, carbon‑fiber parts, and 3D‑printed metal connection nodes. With a total weight of approximately 550 kilograms, it weighs about one quarter of many production vehicles in the same size class. Other technologies include regenerative braking, intelligent torque distribution, and optimized transmission control; according to the university, these features work together to maximize energy recovery and enhance overall vehicle performance. To evaluate real‑world performance, the students simulated environmental conditions and solar‑availability scenarios in Greenville, South Carolina; Frankfurt, Germany; Madrid, Spain; and Mumbai, India. They found that, at each of these locations, under daily 20‑kilometer commutes, the vehicle’s surplus solar energy could on average extend its range by an additional 50 kilometers. Harsh Manghnani, a member of the Deep Orange team and head of solar integration, said it was “extremely gratifying” to see the initial research and design validated in a functional prototype. “This is a highly challenging project—not only to build a working, energy‑positive prototype, but also to demonstrate how solar integration can make a vehicle more energy‑independent,” Manghnani noted. Deep Orange 17 was developed in collaboration with BMW’s R&D team, with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Germany contributing expertise in photovoltaic systems. Further research on the prototype will continue at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research, while the vehicle itself is slated to debut at the 2027 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

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