Teijin and Applied Electric Vehicles (Applied EV) have developed a polycarbonate solar roof for future mobility applications.  

The new solar roof uses Teijin’s Panlite polycarbonate resin glazing for its surface, which is then molded into shape. Teijin says the material achieves the strength and rigidity required for vehicle roofs.

Conventional polycarbonate resin must be specially processed to realize the level of weather resistance needed for long-term outdoor use. Teijin claims its Panlite glazing can easily be given a proprietary hard coating to achieve the 10-year weather durability required for automobiles.

Teijin and Applied EV deployed the solar roof on a prototype EV passenger pod that was installed on the Blanc Robot, a zero-emission robotic vehicle platform developed by Applied EV using materials and technical support from Teijin. In testing conducted by Applied EV in Australia, the solar cells mounted on the Panlite roof achieved an output of about 330 W, which is equivalent to a conventional solar panel housed under glass. 

Source: Teijin