A team from Clemson University, together with BMW, has developed an unusual electric car concept. The project was named Deep Orange 17, and is also known as Luminetta. The main feature of the car is the 1781 photovoltaic cell distributed over the entire body surface. The developers abandoned one large solar panel on the roof of the car. This approach allows the system to continue operating even with partial surface shading. The car turns into a mobile energy collector in the open air. The concept collects sunlight both while driving and in the parking lot. Statistically, cars spend most of their time just parked at home. The new development uses these idle hours to maximum practical advantage.

Simulation with real weather data showed the high efficiency of the new technology. The engineers used indicators from Greenville, Frankfurt, Madrid and Mumbai. The concept is capable of accumulating about fifty kilometers of power reserve in one day. The average commute is about twenty kilometers per day. The prototype weighs only five hundred and fifty kilograms due to modern materials. The designers combined steel, aluminum, carbon fiber and 3D-printed parts. The light weight directly reduces the load on the transmission and energy consumption. The unusual angular silhouette is dictated by the aerodynamics and layout of the solar cells. A large display with real-time data is installed inside. The system supports the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions. The developers deliberately did not put acceleration speed as a top priority.

Sixteen graduate engineering students worked on the creation of the concept for two years. The car is not intended for mass production on industrial conveyors. The machine serves as a research platform for testing new technologies. The project demonstrates the possibility of creating an electric vehicle with a positive energy balance. Such vehicles are capable of generating more energy than they consume when driving. Most modern electric vehicles are charged from the mains via a regular outlet. The university team wondered about the self-powered generation of energy by a machine. The result of this bold experiment was a unique solar electric vehicle. Technology opens up new perspectives for the development of urban transport. The maximum speed and dynamic characteristics of the prototype have not yet been disclosed.