Overview
- Clemson and industry partners revealed in mid-August 2026 that the Deep Orange 17 prototype, called Luminetta, produced simulation results equivalent to about 50 kilometers of extra daily range in select city scenarios.
- The vehicle integrates roughly 1,700 photovoltaic cells across its body to generate electricity while driving and parked and pairs solar harvesting with regenerative braking and smart powertrain controls.
- Engineers achieved an unusually low mass of about 550 kilograms by combining high-strength steel, aluminum, carbon fiber and 3D‑printed metal parts and used a boxfish-inspired shape to lower aerodynamic drag.
- Those range gains come from computer simulations based on a reference daily drive of about 20 kilometers and are not homologated or representative of real-world certified range under all weather and shading conditions.
- Built by 16 graduate students with support from BMW USA and Fraunhofer ISE, Luminetta will remain a test platform at CU-ICAR ahead of a planned CES 2027 presentation and could influence materials, aerodynamics and energy management in future production EVs.