Students at Clemson University in Greenville, South Carolina, US, have unveiled the Deep Orange 17 electric car prototype. The solar-powered research vehicle can generate more energy than it consumes. BMW and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE supported its development.
Sixteen students of Clemson University who recently completed their Master of Science in Automotive Engineering have developed Deep Orange 17, a two-door coupé nicknamed Luminetta.
Deep Orange program
The somewhat bulky-looking vehicle won’t win a design award; it’s described as an ‘energy-positive electric vehicle prototype’ that, according to its creators, generates more energy than it consumes during a typical day of urban commuting.
Developed in collaboration with BMW’s research and development team, the prototype combines solar technology, lightweight construction, and intelligent vehicle control.
Deep Orange 17 is not the first concept vehicle developed at the South Carolina university. Through its ‘Deep Orange’ program, successive groups of Clemson University students have designed and built a series of functional prototypes. BMW has been a long-standing partner of the program.
Continuous source of energy
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?
At the heart of the vehicle’s energy concept are more than 1,700 photovoltaic cells integrated directly into its exterior surfaces, generating electricity both while parked and on the move.
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 cells were developed in collaboration with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. According to the project team, the system also operates in shaded conditions and continuously uses sunlight to recharge the vehicle’s energy storage. A durable outer film protects the solar cells.
“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.
Real-world conditions
To assess the concept under real-world conditions, the students analyzed environmental conditions and solar irradiance in Greenville (South Carolina), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid (Spain), and Mumbai (India).
Based on a daily commute of approximately 20 kilometers, the team says the vehicle generates enough surplus solar energy across all four locations to provide an average of around 50 kilometers of additional range.
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.
Light and aerodynamic
The university has not disclosed details about the drivetrain itself, but says aerodynamics and lightweight construction play a key role in the vehicle’s ‘energy-positive’ concept. The prototype weighs just 550 kilograms, while its aerodynamic design “draws inspiration from the aerodynamic characteristics of the boxfish.”
Its multi-material chassis combines structural steel for passenger safety with aluminum components, carbon fiber structural members, and 3D-printed metal joints to maximize strength while minimizing mass.
Additional technologies, including regenerative braking, intelligent torque distribution, and optimized drivetrain controls, work together to maximize energy recovery and improve overall vehicle performance.
“This was an incredibly challenging project, not only to create a working energy-positive prototype, but to demonstrate how a vehicle can become increasingly energy independent through solar integration,” said Harsh Manghnani, Deep Orange team member and solar integration lead. “Seeing our initial research and design validated in a working prototype has been incredibly rewarding,” he added.
Complete development process
Unlike traditional engineering projects, Deep Orange immerses graduate students in the complete vehicle development process. Students conduct market research, define customer needs, develop vehicle concepts, engineer major systems, manufacture components, and validate performance, all while working alongside industry engineers and managing real-world budgets, schedules, and technical constraints.
“It’s rare for a master’s student to have the opportunity to experience the complete process of developing a prototype vehicle,” said Anshul Karn, Deep Orange Project Manager.
“Many engineering programs include courses in areas like digital modeling or marketing, but very few give students the opportunity to begin with a vision, work through the entire development process and ultimately deliver a fully functioning prototype. That experience is what makes Deep Orange so unique.”
Research on the prototype will continue at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), where the vehicle will serve as a platform for continued innovation in sustainable mobility. Deep Orange 17 is also scheduled to be featured at the 2027 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
