A prototype of the next-generation Hyundai Sonata
was recently spied testing on the streets of South Korea. While that alone is
pretty interesting, what makes the prototype in question particularly
intriguing is that its roof has been adorned with solar panels.
The image above, snapped by The Korean Car Blog,
shows a Sonata testing with black fabric covering most of its redesigned body
panels. Look at the roof and you’ll notice it is made up almost entirely of
solar panels.
Of course, there are a number of production vehicles
that have been available with solar panels on their roofs. For example, the
2010 Toyota Prius was offered with such a roof and in Japan, the Toyota Prius
Prime can also be equipped with solar panels on its roof. In this application,
the roof provides enough power to run the vehicle’s accessories and can charge
the lithium-ion battery pack, offering up to 3.7 miles of additional electric
range per day.
If Hyundai intends on offering a similar roof on the
Sonata, it will obviously only do so on a range-topping Hybrid or Plug-In
Hybrid model. However, it remains to be seen how much energy could be generated
by this roof but on visual inspection, it does look considerably larger than
the solar roof offered for the Prius Prime.
Beyond its new roof, the new Sonata will adopt an
overhauled design reflective of the company’s more stylish philosophy recently
introduced by the Le Fil Rouge concept car and it just might be closely related
to the European 2019 i40, too, though there’s still no official confirmation on
that. Elsewhere, the new Sonata will receive new and revised powertrains,
including a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a CVT.
