The production model of Kia’s new EV9 is expected to debut this year.
It’s a three-row, four-wheel-drive electric SUV that has a solar panel integrated into the hood.
Now, if you’re a regular reader of these pages, you know I’ve been predicting the integration of solar panels into next-generation electric cars for some time now, so this news wasn’t particularly surprising for us.
In fact, in addition to Kia, we know for a fact that GM, Toyota, and even Tesla want to integrate solar panels into their vehicles too in an effort to increase range without having to “plug in.”
Unfortunately, it’s been a real challenge as there haven’t been any solar technologies that are powerful and durable enough to power a 2-ton vehicle at 80 miles per hour.
In fact, as I dug deeper into Kia’s new solar offering, I found that even in the best conditions, the additional solar will likely offer no more than 5 miles' worth of additional range.
Now, I should point out that the EV9 is no slouch. It’s actually a pretty impressive vehicle that can deliver more than 260 miles on a charge even without the solar integration. But there’s not much meat on the bone in terms of the vehicle's integrated solar panel.
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I predict that within two years, Kia, as well as all the other major carmakers, will be able to integrate solar into their electric vehicles that will serve less as a marketing gimmick and more as a legitimate range extender.
And this is because there’s finally a solar panel strong enough and durable enough to power a car.
How can I know this?
Because a new electric car startup called Aptera is using this new “car-worthy” solar panel for its first production model (which will be out by the end of the year), and that vehicle can travel 1,000 miles before running out of juice.
To clarify, this impressive range is more the result of engineering superiority than anything else, but the solar panels that are integrated into the vehicle can provide up to 40 miles of range.
While that may not seem like much, remember that the average U.S. commuter only drives about 40 miles per day.
So just on solar power alone, this new electric car could theoretically allow commuters to never have to charge their cars to get to and from work.
Of course, “theoretically” doesn’t work in the real world, but according to my sources, the range provided by these solar panels could double in just four years. To put this into perspective, there are some electric cars on the road today that can’t even deliver 80 miles after being plugged in for 12 hours.
But here’s the interesting part…
It may actually be cheaper to integrate solar panels into the body of an electric car to get an additional 80 miles than it would be to beef up the actual battery.
The battery is the most expensive part of an electric car, so make no mistake: In an effort to save cash, don’t think for a second that carmakers will ignore this new solar technology if it can save them money. And as investors, we’re not ignoring it either.
You see, it turns out that there’s only one company that’s been able to perfect a solar panel that can power an actual car, and, as luck would have it, it’s publicly traded and trading at a slight 12% discount right now.
Bottom line: All electric cars in the future will feature some sort of solar integration in an effort to increase range without having to increase pricing — and there’s only one solar company that has the technology to make this happen.
There’s no doubt in my mind that by this time next year, this under-the-radar solar company will have new deals in place with Toyota, GM, and Tesla, which is why you should grab a few shares before tomorrow, while it’s still cheap.
To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth… Jeff Siegel
@JeffSiegel on Twitter
Check us out on YouTube!Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor’s page.
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