The cars of the future may finally be arriving. The first ever solar-powered car and a mass-produced hydrogen-powered car are coming to the market soon. A solar-powered car, the Lightyear 0, from Dutch startup Valmet, and while the company has not yet released a plan on selling the vehicle in the U.S. just yet there will be an update provided in January. While a hydrogen-powered Honda CR-V is set to come to markets in 2024. And while similar to the solar-powered car, the hydrogen-powered Honda has yet to release many details on the time frame for its release.

Valmet’s solar-powered car will be an all-electric four-door car with over 50 square feet of solar panels on its hood and roof that will supposedly be able to generate up to 43-miles-worth of electricity a day. It is also set to host a relatively small weight at 3,500 pounds which is due to its small 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The car will also not have side mirrors which the company claims in combination with narrow tires the lack of mirrors will reduce wind and road resistance. The company has claimed that the car will essentially be able to run over 300 miles on a charge and become an everyday driver on solar power alone.

The popular Honda CR-V coming with a hydrogen-powered model could bring an already popular vehicle into a relatively unused market. The advantage of hydrogen power is that like gas hydrogen-powered vehicles can be “refueled” in minus, unlike traditional electric-powered vehicles. The CR-V will also feature a small battery that can be recharged, like a plug-in hybrid, though details surrounding this feature have yet to be released. This fuel-cell version of the CR-V is set to launch this fall with a combined range of 40 mpg.



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