German automaker Audi and California-based Alta Devices - a wholly owned subsidiary of troubled Chinese PV group Hanergy Thin Film Power (HTF) - have agreed to collaborate on thin-film solar research, with plans to exhibit a PV-integrated Audi prototype vehicle by the end of this year.Initially, Audi and gallium arsenide (GaAs) thin-film solar developer Alta Devices - which Hanergy acquired in August 2014 - will integrate thin-film PV cells into the roofs of certain vehicle models, according to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) they have signed. The solar cells will extend road mileage by feeding electricity into internal vehicle power units, such as air conditioning systems.
"The project will not only contribute to Audi's clear vision of emission-free mobility, but also advance the application of thin-film solar technology," HTF said in an emailed statement.
Eventually, the two companies plan to develop ways to direct PV-generated electricity into drivetrain batteries, as additional sources of ...Den vollständigen Artikel lesen ...