BMW collaborated with a U.S. university design team to create a solar-powered prototype vehicle that generates more energy that it uses.

The Luminetta coupe concept model, to be unveiled at next year’s CES electronics show in Las Vegas, can handle a typical urban day of commuting and tooling around town and have energy left over from the sunshine it absorbs in the process, the German automaker said.

Automotive engineering students at Clemson University’s Deep Orange design program developed the prototype in collaboration with BMW’s research-and-development team after BMW challenged the program in 2024 to create an energy-positive vehicle.

The result, inspired by the aerodynamic body of a boxfish, looks like a cross between a Tesla Cybertruck and a traditional sedan.

The Deep Orange students based its energy processing and production on typical urban driving days and centered its design on solar power rather than solar serving as an auxiliary fuel source. Its exterior incorporates 1,700 photovoltaic cells to constantly absorb sunlight, even when some of the panels are shaded, BMW said.

On a daily 12-mile commute, the car generated enough energy to hold an average of 31 extra miles worth of driving range, the Deep Orange team demonstrated.

Aerodynamics and the vehicle’s light weight also contribute to its fuel efficiency – its weighs just a little over 1,200 pounds, or a quarter the weight of similarly sized concept cars, according to the automaker.

“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 BMW Project Manager of Research and New Technologies Stephan Augustin.

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