According to CNN, the Dutch Lightyear automobile company, founded in 2016, released the world's first commercial solar car "Lightyear 0", with curved solar panels installed on its roof and hood. The company said that the vehicle's daily mileage was 625 kilometers, and solar power contributed about 70 kilometers to its mileage. It is reported that the company will deliver the car in Europe as early as November this year. The British "Daily Telegraph" pointed out that in addition to Lightyear automobile company, some enterprises, including German Mercedes Benz company, are also starting or close to producing this kind of car. Some insiders believe that solar cars may shake the position of electric vehicles. However, it was also pointed out that this kind of car still faces two major challenges of cost and technology in order to "fly into the homes of ordinary people". Several companies have developed solar cars. It is reported that Lightyear automobile company, founded in 2016, is producing nearly 1000 solar cars mainly driven by batteries and equipped with curved solar panels on the roof and hood. According to guangnian automobile company, the car can be recharged for 9.6 kilometers when it is exposed to the sun for an hour, which provides convenience for people's long-distance travel. It also means that the owner spends less time at the charging station, and may even not need a charging station at all. In addition, in the sunny month of the year, it will allow short-distance driving to be completely powered by solar energy. For example, in hot areas such as Spain or Portugal, if someone's daily commute is less than 36 kilometers, there is no need to charge the battery for as long as 7 months. In countries with more clouds like the Netherlands, cars need to be recharged in two months. Lightyear automobile company said that the company delivered the car in Europe as early as November this year and will sell it in the UK and the United States in 2025. The solar car produced by Lightyear automobile company does not need fuel and does not pollute the air. Moreover, it is also a potential solution to the problem of the lack of available charging facilities in the electric vehicle revolution. In addition to the company, some enterprises have also begun to produce such cars. Earlier this year, German Mercedes Benz launched the vision eqxx electric vehicle, which can run 1000 kilometers on a single charge. In an 11-and-a-half-hour test in the Alps in April, the roof solar panel increased the range by 25 kilometers. In addition, not long ago, a group of students drove a solar car built by the Belgian Agora solar team and drove 1051 kilometers in 12 hours, setting a world record. However, because there is only one driver in the car, it is unlikely that this kind of car will go on sale soon. In addition, aptera motors of the United States plans to put into production this year. The aptera solar car can travel about 1609 kilometers at a time of charging, and its solar panels can provide an additional range of about 64 kilometers per day. German sono automobile company also launched a household solar car "sono", with a range of 306 kilometers. Solar energy can provide the car with a range of 16 kilometers every day. Laurin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of sono, said: "We are at the intersection of two very important trends. On the one hand, solar energy technology is becoming cheaper and more efficient. On the other hand, the electric vehicle industry is also making great strides forward, such as the continuous improvement of battery technology. The intersection between these trends and related enterprises is a great opportunity for solar electric vehicles." Cost and technology are the biggest challenges, but Jim sack, Honorary Professor of Loughborough University and President of the automotive industry association, said that solar cars face many challenges if they want to "fly into the homes of ordinary people". Sark said that the reason why solar panels have not become an important feature of cars is that they can only use a limited surface area for charging. In addition, the closer you live to the poles, the more seasonal the solar energy supply will be. Moreover, like electric cars, climbing, braking and using air conditioners will speed up the power consumption of solar cars. "How much do you spend to run an extra 16 kilometers?" Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, also said that although he supports solar energy, the company has been avoiding this technology because "the most inefficient area of using solar energy is cars". More importantly, due to the supply problem, the prices of steel, aluminum, copper and high-purity silicon used to make battery panels have soared, making it difficult to reduce the cost of solar cars. The pre-sale price of "Lightyear 0" model is $263000, which makes many people flinch. However, the international energy agency believes that with the oil price approaching a record high, the price of solar energy is still relatively cheap, and solar cars are still competitive with traditional power cars. Edurne Soko of S & P global commodity insight also said that solar energy "is competitive with traditional energy. In many places, solar energy is one of the cheapest energy sources". In addition, with the continuous progress of technology, the price of solar panels has fallen, and solar panels per square inch can also provide more electricity. Sark stressed that "although facing many challenges, I think solar cars have great potential". Although it is still a long way from owning a solar car that can run without fuel and charging, if we can overcome the current technical problems and reduce costs, maybe in the future, people can drive solar cars like Doraemon and its partners. (Xinhua News Agency)