Mercedes-Benz Solar Paint Could Charge EV While Running

A revolutionary paint job may eventually allow your electric car to be completely covered in solar panels, not just on the roof but throughout the body of the vehicle. That solar paint could collect solar energy and feed it directly into the EV's battery, whether the vehicle is stopped or moving. Even if it sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, Mercedes-Benz researchers are diligently working to make it a reality.
According to reports, the automaker is creating a photovoltaic paint that will allow EVs to be charged using solar energy. The paint may provide enough electricity to increase the vehicle's range, even though it couldn't replace the battery pack.
Mercedes-Benz's photovoltaic paint, which has a nanoparticle-based coating on top and lets 94% of the sun's rays through, has an efficiency of 20%, which is comparable to that of conventional solar panels. The vehicle's increased range will be influenced by its geographic location in some way because some parts of the world receive more solar radiation than others.
The German carmaker has been working on this research for several years. It unveiled a prototype Mercedes with a solar-powered paint job in 2014. But technology has advanced. It recently demonstrated a prototype of the solar paint during an R&D event at its German headquarters. Still, the reality of a solar-painted EV is years away, and Mercedes cannot predict when this will be available on its vehicles.