Ford Motor Co. plans to roll out a solar-powered version of its C-Max hybrid compact car during next week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The car uses technology that might remind some people of childhood experiments with a magnifying glass on sunny days.
The C-Max concept car uses solar cells on its roof to charge a range-extending battery instead of plugging into the electrical grid. It also uses specially designed lenses that concentrate the sun’s energy on the solar cells like a magnifying glass. As a result, the roof panel gathers much more power than solar panels mounted on some previous cars.