Ford, SunPower Offer Solar Offset System for Focus Electric

by | Aug 11, 2011

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Ford and SunPower Corp. have created a rooftop solar system that they say will provide Focus Electric owners with enough renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge the vehicle.

Through such offsets, participants in the “Drive Green for Life” program should significantly lower the cost of running their electric vehicle, the companies said.

The 2.5 kW rooftop solar system is comprised of SunPower E18 Series solar panels that produce an average of 3,000 kWh of electricity annually. Sun Power says that these generate about 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels and have a smaller footprint on the roof.

The system was sized to accommodate a customer who drives about 1,000 miles per month. The complete system is offered at a base price of under $10,000, after federal tax credits, SunPower says.

In addition to the Focus Electric, the SunPower rooftop solar system will be compatible with the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that Ford is rolling out in 2012.

In July, General Motors signed commercial agreements with Sunlogics for the installation of solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations at Chevrolet dealerships and GM facilities.

Each solar canopy is expected to generate electricity equivalent to 12 full vehicle charges per day, and any electricity that is not used by the chargers will be re-routed to supply the dealership as a whole, GM said.

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