Electric vehicles are here to stay. New and existing companies are proving their innovation capabilities with improved range, more features and overall better design elements while reducing the environmental impact. EV start-up Humble Motors aims to address all these goals with its solar-powered cars.
The Humble One, a concept SUV recently released by the California-based company, proves the point with over 80 square feet of photovoltaic cells built into the roof. There are also electricity-generating sidelites and a fairly mainstream regenerative braking system that adds to the energy production. The vehicle even has solar array wings that can fold out to gather energy while parked.
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The Humble One is a completely electric car concept, so it has no motor. While it has many features found in other EVs, the goal of the Humble Motors team is to build a future of off-grid vehicles.
According to founder Dima Steesy, “range anxiety” led to the idea of a solar-powered car.
“Because of the lengthy time required to charge and the fact that people in LA love to charge their Tesla while running errands like grocery shopping or sitting down for lunch, the few charge stations I could find within 15 miles all had long wait lines,” Steesy explained. “This prompted me to begin looking into a tonneau or something similar that could cover my roof when I wasn’t driving to extend the battery’s range. That search started me down the rabbit hole of realizing that a fully solar-powered car would be preferable to a solar roof aftermarket car part. I found a group of similarly minded people who felt called to our mission of creating more sustainable and self-sufficient electric vehicles and this is how Humble got its start.”
The company repeatedly points out that Humble One is a concept, not a prototype, so all specs are best estimates. The team hypothesizes that the solar aspects of the vehicle will add 10-60 miles of additional charge per day, depending on where it’s being driven. Currently, that can make a huge difference in whether a charging station is in range or not. The vehicle is expected to achieve a range of 500 miles with the internal battery.
All this innovation doesn’t mean abandoning style and performance, though. With a light estimated 4,000-pound weight, Humble One could go from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, draw up to 1020 hp and top out at 155 mph, all while comfortably seating four people.
The predicted starting price is $109,000, excluding taxes and add-on fees. Manufacturing is set to begin in 2024 with deliveries beginning in 2025.
Images via Humble Motors
