Home EV charging company, Easee, has completed the first drive from Land’s End to John O’Groats in a production electric vehicle powered entirely by solar energy.
Over five days, a Renault 4 E-Tech electric plein sud™ techno+ travelled north through Britain, with every unit of electricity used to charge the vehicle generated by the sun.
The car was charged through a three-phase Easee Charge Pro EV charger, connected to a combination of installed solar arrays and portable battery storage units charged using solar energy. No grid electricity was used to power the Renault during the challenge.
The Easee Sun Run started on 20th June, immediately before the summer solstice. It was designed to demonstrate how renewable generation, energy storage, smart charging and electric vehicles can work together as one flexible clean-energy system.
Anthony Fernandez, CEO of Easee, said: “The Easee Sun Run is an opportunity to show what clean mobility can achieve using technology that is already available today. When electric vehicles, chargers, renewable generation and energy storage work together, they can form part of a smarter and more resilient energy system.
“We know the journey will present challenges, but that is exactly the point. We want to put the technology into a demanding, real-world environment and show what is possible when every mile is powered by the sun.”
The plein sud™ configuration of the Renault 4 translates as ‘due south’, the optimal orientation for a solar panel to capture maximum energy – a fitting juxtaposition to the car’s adventure pointing firmly north.
The fully electric model combines a 52kWh battery and 150hp powertrain with a range of up to 242 miles under the WLTP combined cycle. The plein sud™ edition is also equipped with an electrically operated canvas sunroof, bringing an open-air character to the modern reinterpretation of the Renault 4.
