# Solar Roof-Powered Cars Ford's New Prototype is a Hybrid Vehicle Charged Through an Eco Roof Panel By Janelle Savel | Published 2014-01-15 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ford-solarpowered-hybrid References: [mnn](http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/whoa-ford-to-unveil-exciting-new-solar-car) & [upi](http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2014/01/12/Ford-goes-off-grid-Toyotas-fuel-cell-car-makes-splash/UPI-80821389522600/) [Ford](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ford-transit-phev-eco-evolution) recently unveiled its C-MAX Solar Energi car, with a first-of-its-kind solar roof. This is an advantage to consumers to have a [hybrid car](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/artura-spider) that doesn’t need to plug-in to recharge. The C-MAX Energi car is powered through a Fresnel lens, which uses the sun to recharge its batteries. The Fresnel lens concentrates the sun’s power and tracks its movements throughout the day, which will take it about a day to fully charge. Ford says that this car can be fueled for approximately 75% of a trip made by the average driver. The C-Max uses an estimated 108 miles per gallon for city driving. To put this into perspective, according to Ford, if every car had this [solar panel-covered canopy](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightfoot-scooter), we could reduce emissions by about 1 billion metric tons. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.4/10 - Popularity: 2% | Activity: 2% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Solar-powered Vehicles:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop more efficient and powerful solar panels for vehicles to eliminate the need for plug-in charging. - **Sustainable Energy Solutions:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create new technologies and infrastructure that leverage renewable energy sources, such as solar power, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. - **Hybrid Vehicle Advancements:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Improve the performance and efficiency of hybrid vehicles by integrating solar charging capabilities and optimizing battery technology. ### Where This Applies - **Automotive:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborate with car manufacturers to develop solar-powered cars and advance sustainable transportation solutions. - **Renewable Energy:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Invest in research and development of solar energy technologies that can be integrated into various applications, including vehicle charging systems. - **Environmental Services:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Provide consulting and implementation services to organizations looking to adopt sustainable energy solutions, such as solar-powered vehicles. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Futuristic Solar-Powered Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightyear-0.md) - [Solar-Powered Cargo Vans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solar-electric-van.md) - [Roof-Mounted EV Charging Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gosun-sun.md) - [Solar-Powered Sedan Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vision-eqxx.md) - [Sleek Solar-Powered SUVs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humble-one-suv.md) - [Solar-Powered City Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/city-cars.md) - [Solar-Powered Autonomous Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/polestar-cladrus.md) - [Solar-Powered Sleek Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-solaris.md) - [Emissions-Free Camper Vans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ford-transit-phev-eco-evolution.md)