Refuel while you drive

The C-MAX Solar Energi concept car is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, which means it has both a petrol engine and a rechargeable electric battery, similar to the popular Toyota Prius.

However the C-MAX also has solar panels set into the roof, which top up the battery on sunny days. Ford says the car does about 160km per US gallon – an astonishing figure when compared to the most efficient petrol-only engines, which do around 60kms per gallon.

The car’s roof has a special see-through covering called a Fresnel lens, which focuses the sun’s rays on to the solar panels so they deliver more power.

Ford says the car will help owners cut around four tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year – which is like cutting out 25 trips between Auckland and Wellington.