Stockdorf/Munich. – The application of renewable sources of energy, such as solar power, is one of the tasks most frequently asked of research and development today. The principal aim is to find solutions to ecological problems, with the main focus generally on solar technology. For many years, Webasto has shown that it is possible to combine utility with comfort, and it has done so by incorporating this innovative technology into its traditional core business. And its success has proved Webasto right - the company leads the way in the application of solar technology in vehicles. It was quite natural, therefore, to combine this know-how and the company’s core competence in roof systems to produce a solar sunroof.

The first solar sunroof in the world was presented to the public in the Audi Coupé in 1991. An advance on this design was then offered by Audi as an optional extra for the A8, A6 and A4. The technology appears in its latest guise in the new A8, which was launched at the beginning of 2003.

These solar power stations also attract a lot of attention from Mercedes customers, for whom this feature is available in the current E-Class. Drivers of luxury class vehicles no longer have to miss out on this technology either: anyone choosing a vehicle from the Maybach range can have a specially designed solar module for the chauffeur version (Maybach 62) and for the shorter version, the Maybach 57.

The solar sunroof uses monocrystalline solar cells built into the glass cover of the sunroof. These convert the sunlight falling on them directly into electrical energy. If you park your car in the sun, this energy is used to drive the car fan. The continuous flow of fresh air can reduce the temperature inside the vehicle by up to 20 degrees Celsius. A much more pleasant atmosphere now awaits passengers when they get into the car.

If the vehicle is also equipped with an air conditioning system, this cools the interior much more quickly since the initial temperature is much lower than it would be without parking ventilation. The air conditioning system operates much more quietly from the start and uses less energy. In addition, the consistently low temperature reduces wear and tear on the materials used inside the vehicle. In damp weather, the parking ventilation systematically conveys the humidity brought into the vehicle by passengers back outside.

It is also possible to feed the onboard electricity supply with solar power. This compensates for battery discharge when the vehicle is not used for some time and equipment such as mobile telephones or cool boxes can be operated using solar energy, thus saving the battery.

Webasto solar technology is also used in “smaller” areas of application. The “Solarius”, for example, a solar panel equipped with amorphous cells. It is placed behind the windscreen and connected to the cigarette lighter, through which the solar electricity generated flows to the battery of the parked car, charging it over a period of time. Above all, when the engine is switched off for a long time, the battery retains its capacity to start the vehicle for much longer.