A Renault 4 E-Tech electric Plein Sud has completed the Easee Sun Run, a 1,000-mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats powered only by solar energy. Timed around the summer solstice, the journey set out to follow the sun across the length of the UK.
A solar story across the UK
The charging stops on the route illustrated the breadth of solar adoption in the UK. Roskilly’s Ice Cream in Cornwall has solar panels that contribute to the business’s daily energy. Chard Junction, where the Renault 4 E-Tech electric charged for the first time since leaving Land’s End, is home to the UK’s oldest commercial solar farm. Further north in Derbyshire, Whaley Bridge Cricket Club uses solar power to operate entirely off-grid.
At Swansea University, Power Roll is developing rollable solar films that are lightweight, flexible and designed to bring photovoltaic technology to surfaces and spaces that traditional panels can’t reach. In Durham, researchers are working on ultra-efficient vehicles capable of running directly on energy from the sun, turning solar power from something stored into something immediate.
In Scotland, the route highlighted further applications of solar technology: a solar pyramid south of Edinburgh illustrates how the technology has evolved, while on the east coast, homes and businesses are using solar generation combined with battery storage to operate independently of the grid.
Brought together by one journey
The Renault 4 E-Tech completed the journey in its open-top canvas roof configuration, its 52kWh battery and 150hp powertrain powered throughout by solar-sourced electricity. That energy came from a combination of established solar installations and portable solar-charged storage, delivered via a Charge Pro three-phase EV charger provided by Easee at key points along the route, enabling the full length of the UK to be driven without drawing electricity from the grid.
Project leader Jeremy Hart said, “You set out thinking this is about getting from one end of the country to the other, but it quickly becomes about everything in between. One stop is a solar farm doing exactly what you’d expect, the next is a cricket club running itself off grid, then you’re looking at research that could change how solar works altogether. Each stop adds something different, and by the time you reach the end, you realize the car has been picking up that same energy all along and quietly turning it into miles.”
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