Mercedes-Benz has released details about its research projects that will “shape the mobility of tomorrow” – including solar paint.
Among the new technologies being researched, and discussed at a series of workshops in Stuttgart, Germany, are sustainable materials. The carmaker’s R&D department has set a technology challenge of reducing the environmental impact of every component and material as far as possible. Everything is being scrutinised to reduce CO₂ emissions, increase the use of recycled materials and enable a circular economy.
For instance, one material being researched is a highly realistic leather alternative made from recycled plastic and biotechnology-based materials.
The firm is also working on a new kind of ‘solar paint’ that could generate enough electricity for more than 12,000km a year.
Rather than integrating solar panels into a vehicle to charge it, Mercedes-Benz is proposing that at just 5μm in length, less than a human hair, the solar modules can be applied to...