[cbhl]

A 500km range sounds like the range of a fully charged electric battery, but not the range from a single day of charging off the solar cell.

As a concrete example: folks have tested the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime and find that a full day of charging generates just under 1 kWh of power over the whole day (not 1 kWh per hour, 1kWh total) which yields just under 3 miles of driving (given 40 mi range and a 13.6 kWh battery). And as a sedan it also weighs about 25% lighter than a "typical SUV". Suppose this student car has 3x the solar panels as the Toyota -- that would only give you 9 miles or 14.5 km of range.

[stevage]

Ah thanks, yes, it doesn't mention how much time they spent charging. Although it does say the panels are extendable when stationary.