Electric vehicles are known for plugging in – but one startup wants them to simply soak up the sun instead. Bako Motors is building compact electric cars and cargo vans with solar panels on the roof, letting them charge directly from sunlight and cut their dependence on wall sockets altogether.
It’s not an entirely novel idea. But unlike flashy startups like Aptera, Bako is approaching it with an actually commercially viable solution. And now the company is joining several other African-based EV makers hoping to help the continent leapfrog its way towards more sustainable transportation.
While most EVs still rely on grid charging – often from a fossil-fuel-heavy mix in Africa – Bako’s small vehicles can harvest free energy straight from the sky. According to founder and CEO Boubaker Siala, the roof-mounted solar cells can provide more than half of a vehicle’s daily energy needs. For its commercial model, the B-Van, that translates to about 50 km (31 mi) of solar-assisted driving per day, or roughly 17,000 km (10,500 mi) per year without ever plugging in.
Of course, drivers do still have the option of plugging into an EV charger to top up the battery more quickly, but soaking up extra sun all day may mean that many owners can get away with infrequent grid-charging stops.
The B-Van can haul up to 400 kg (882 lb) of cargo and offers 100–300 km (62–186 mi) of total range, starting at around US $8,500. Its smaller sibling, the Bee, is a two-seat urban runabout with 70–120 km (44–75 mi) of range and a 44 km/h (27 mph) top speed, priced from US $6,200. A third model, the X-Van, is now on the drawing board with space for two passengers and extra cargo.
More than 40% of Bako’s parts are sourced locally – including the steel for the frame and lithium-iron-phosphate batteries – creating jobs while reducing import costs. A second, larger factory is set to open in 2026, boosting capacity to 8,000 vehicles per year for Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
By combining affordability, local manufacturing, and solar charging, Bako Motors is carving out a niche that fits Africa’s climate and infrastructure realities. In a market where range anxiety and unreliable grids still hold many buyers back, these sun-sipping EVs might just be the independence-promoting solution that drivers need.
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