Hercules Alpha EV ute debuts solar tonneau cover

US-based electric vehicle start-up Hercules has announced it will introduce an innovative solar tonneau cover for its Alpha pick-up truck that it claims can add up 30km of driving range daily.

The quad-motor Hercules Alpha dual-cab EV appears to be in the early stages of development and the company is still actively pursuing new investors, but says its partnership with Worksport to deploy its TerraVis solar ute tray cover is a significant step.

The hard four-section tonneau cover is made up of four monocrystalline high-efficiency panels that provide 1kW charging capacity, high security and can even be walked upon.

The energy is then stored in multiple portable battery banks.

Depending on when – or if – the Hercules Alpha launches, and how it executes the solar system, it could become one of the first significant solar-enhanced vehicles available.

The Hercules Alpha dual-cab pick-up truck is claimed to be powered by a potent 750kW quad-motor, four-wheel drive powertrain that delivers blistering acceleration.

The 0-96km/h sprint takes just 4.0 seconds, says Hercules, and top speed is said to be around 190km/h (120mph).

A battery of undisclosed density will deliver a cruising range of around 480km (300 miles).

The latest American pick-up also has a “zero radius turning” ability, which may be similar to the ‘tank turn’ feature of the Rivian R1T electric ute.

Payload in the Alpha’s tray maxes out at 1134kg, while “trailering weight” is said to be 5670kg.

The Hercules Alpha ute design was first announced in early 2020 and the current design was outed mid-year. Since then it has accumulated $38 million ($US27m) in customer pre-orders, which at $1500 a pop would equate to around 18,000 vehicles.

According to Worksport, the advanced tonneau cover will initially be “exclusively configured and uniquely crafted for Hercules’ highly innovative EV pick-up truck, the Alpha” but is expected to be tailored for a wide range of models, such as the Ford F-150 and RAM 1500.

Applications for SUVs and boats are also on the table, and the idea is that owners can top up the vehicle battery for extended range or use the extra energy to charge tools, computers, even power toys and various other devices.

It’s not the first time vehicles have offered solar panels; the Toyota Prius was fitted with rudimentary systems to pre-charge air-conditioning as far back as 2009.

Tesla is planning to put solar panels on its Cybertruck ute and Hyundai is investing heavily in thin skin-like solar panel applications for car roofs and bonnets.

“We are pleased to be working with the team at Worksport to bring solar charging to our Hercules products,” said Hercules CEO James Breyer, who co-founded the company in 2018 and previously worked for Ford and GM on electric and fuel-cell vehicle projects.