Solar powered EVs, anyone? Automakers are on a quest to manufacture functional solar-powered electric vehicles, and while many firms have abandoned their projects for lack of capital to push development forward, Toyota and Hyundai may have cracked the code, Bloomberg writes. The new Sonata sports a roof made up of solar cells able to generate 200 watts of solar energy, enough power to add an additional 6-6.5 km of range per day depending on cloud cover, TechCrunch writes. Toyota also has an add-on option for the hybrid versions of its Prius models which enables motorists to equip their car roofs with solar panels, adding some 1.25k km in solar-powered driving range annually, Bloomberg notes.

More to come: Both Hyundai and Toyota plan on outfitting upcoming models with solar cells, including the Ioniq 5 EV. The automarker also plans to design its new all-electric EV the bZ4X with a similar system. Other companies are jumping on the bandwagon, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk telling customers the new electric Cybertruck would have an option to equip the EVs with solar cells.

Solar-powered EVs are not unheard of in MENA: Netherlands-based firm Lightyear — which declared bankruptcy in January this year — had showcased its solar-powered EV Lightyear 0 at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) back in October.

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