HORIZON 2020 - New solar-powered electric vehicle to lower daily travel costs

Most vehicles run on petrol or diesel that pollute our cities while emptying our wallets. But this could be about to change. The EU-funded PLUS-MOBY project has developed an electric urban vehicle and mobile fast food van that can be partially solar powered. Soon drivers should be able to charge their vehicle like they charge their phone and use solar power to drive up to 20 km per day.

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date: 18/04/2016

Project: Premium Low weight Urban Sustainable e-M...

acronym: PLUS-MOBY

See also: CORDIS

Most people living in cities drive less than 50 km per day, using their vehicle to commute from home and work. If the PLUS-MOBY vehicles are mass-produced as planned, this daily commute could be powered by the sun for many drivers in southern EU countries, says project coordinator Marco Ottella. This will help the EU meet its targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % by 2020 and by 80-95 % by 2050.

Drivers of the PLUS-MOBY vehicle will still need to charge it for longer trips, but they should not be deterred by this: “Unfortunately, a limited infrastructure of charging stations has been a barrier to the adoption of some electric vehicles in Europe,” explains Ottella. “But we have come up with a solution to this challenge in the PLUS-MOBY and FREE-MOBY projects.”

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