Solar-Powered Deep Orange 17: Energy-Positive Electric Car

Clemson University has unveiled Deep Orange 17, a solar-integrated, energy-positive electric vehicle prototype designed to generate more energy than it consumes during a typical day of urban commuting. Developed in collaboration with BMW’s research and development team, the prototype integrates solar technology, lightweight engineering and intelligent vehicle controls to demonstrate that energy-positive mobility is possible.

Deep Orange 17 is the latest concept vehicle developed through Clemson’s acclaimed Deep Orange program, where graduate automotive engineering students design, engineer and build a fully functional prototype alongside industry partners.

Rethinking Vehicle Efficiency

In the fall of 2024, BMW challenged the graduate students of Deep Orange 17 to rethink one of the industry’s biggest questions: Could a vehicle generate more energy than it consumes during everyday driving?

Rather than optimizing solely for standardized driving cycles, the team focused on how people actually use their vehicles every day. Passenger vehicles spend most of their time parked, creating opportunities to harvest solar energy throughout the day. Students also designed the vehicle to capture solar energy while driving, allowing sunlight to become a continuous source of energy generation during everyday use.

The result is Deep Orange 17, a lightweight, solar-integrated coupe designed to generate more energy than it consumes during a typical day of urban commuting. Designed around drivers who value ease of driving, energy efficiency and reduced dependence on charging infrastructure, the vehicle represents a new approach to sustainable mobility.

“This is a project we’ve wanted to pursue for years, so it’s incredibly rewarding to see this group of students come together over the last two years, overcome so many technical challenges and constraints, and bring an energy-positive vehicle to life,” said Stephan Augustin, Project Manager of Research and New Technologies at BMW.

Harnessing Solar Energy

At the heart of Deep Orange 17 is a fully integrated solar energy system. Rather than serving as an auxiliary feature, solar power is a core part of the vehicle’s propulsion strategy.

More than 1,700 photovoltaic cells are integrated directly into the vehicle’s exterior surfaces, allowing the body itself to harvest energy while both parked and in motion. The system continuously replenishes the vehicle’s energy storage using sunlight, helping offset energy consumed during daily driving.