This is very interesting, Ford is working on a solar panel that mounts on top of the C-Max that can move itself under a glass canopy in order to recharge the battery 100%
Watch the video.
http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/6904/Fords-Solar-Electric-Car-Could-Be-the-Next-Evolution-of-Hybrids.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7FrtDMeZkM&feature=player_embedded
They don't really explain it that well at first, but they are talking about a solar panel on the roof of the C-Max that while driving really wouldn't gather that much energy.
The trick would be parking the C-Max under a "solar magnifier car port" that would magnify the intensity of the sun's rays to produce much larger amounts of power while the car is sitting still, IE, while your at work.
Two flaws immediately jump out at me. 1) The solar magnifier cart port thing, does it also have solar cells on it? Otherwise its a very single-use piece of infrastructure. 2) How long does it take in direct sunlight for the car-port+solar cell to recharge the batteries? Seems like it would work for the driver with the typical 9-5 job, as long as he worked somewhere that got a lot of light (parking garages are out?)
Neat They could insatall them on the roof of garages that have a top level then all of the green people could park up there?
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