When it comes to energy creation, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You have to spend energy to make energy. Fortunately, with solar panels, we can make the sun do all the work and reap the benefits. Problem is, solar panels typically don't create enough energy to juice up an electric car nearly enough to cover your daily driving needs. However, BMW threw down the gauntlet to students at Clemson University to create an electric vehicle that can actually make more energy than it uses in a single day of urban commuting. And the students did it.
The result is called Deep Orange 17. It was developed through Clemson's Deep Orange program, in which graduate students develop fully functional prototype vehicles alongside industry partners. BMW issued the challenge to Deep Orange students in 2024, and two years later, they now have a fully functioning solar-powered vehicle vehicle. Even if it looks like a cardboard shoe.
