Renault ‘s solar-powered EV drives from Land’s End to John O’Groats

• Solar powered helped EV travel across the UK mainland
• Included in the Electric Car Grant, the Plein Sud costs about £27,445
• It has a range of up to 242 miles and can charge from 15% to 80% in just 30 minutes

A Renault solar-powered EV has driven from one side of the UK mainland powered entirely by solar energy and without drawing any electricity from the National Grid. 

The company said the Renault 4 E-Tech Plein Sud travelled 1,000 from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’ Groats in Northern Scotland powered by a 52 kWh battery and 150hp powertrain. 

The solar-powered EV has a range of up to 242 miles and can charge from 15% to 80% in just 30 minutes. It qualifies for the Electric Car Grant and is priced £27,445, which includes the Grant. 

It is also the only EV of its type to have a fully opening roof and it also has 1,350 litres of boot space with the rear seats folded. 

For the journey across the UK, the solar energy came from several established solar installations along the route, delivered by a Charge Pro three-phase EV charger from Ease, and a portable solar-charged energy storage system. 

The end result, Renault said, was a complete end-to-end drive from the most southeasterly point of the UK mainland to the most northwestern without taking any power from the grid.

Along the way the car visited several solar projects that show the power and potential of clean energy. These included Roskily’s Ice Cream, which is entirely powered by solar, and Chard Junction, the oldest commercial solar farm in the UK, where the EV made its first charging stop. 

It also visited Whaley Bridge Cricket Club in Derbyshire, which uses solar to run fully off-grid. There was also Swansea University, where Power Roll, a company working with the university, is developing rollable solar films designed to reach space where traditional panels can’t be applied.

Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Deputy editor

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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