LONDON — Easee and Renault have completed the Easee Sun Run, the first fully solar-powered drive from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Timed to coincide with the longest days of the year, the five-day, 1,000-mile journey saw a Renault 4 E-Tech electric plein sud™ techno+ travel the length of Britain on energy generated entirely by the sun.
No electricity from the grid or fossil-fuel-generated power was used to move the car during the journey. Instead, the Renault was charged through a three-phase Easee Charge Pro EV charger connected to a mix of fixed solar arrays and portable, solar-charged battery storage units positioned along the route.
The journey showed what is already possible when renewable generation, mobile energy storage, intelligent EV charging and a standard production electric vehicle operate as a single connected system.
A standard EV, charged only by the sun
The Renault 4 E-Tech electric plein sud™ techno+ made a fitting choice for the challenge: “plein sud” translates as “due south”, the optimal orientation for solar panels in the northern hemisphere. The fully electric Renault 4 pairs a 52kWh battery and 150hp powertrain with a WLTP combined range of up to 242 miles, and the plein sud™ version adds an electrically operated canvas sunroof — a nod to the open-air character of earlier Renault 4 generations.
The car and one of the larger portable storage units were charged using solar energy near Land’s End before setting off north. As the journey progressed, further energy came from a coordinated network of solar installations and pre-charged mobile battery units.
Anthony Fernandez, CEO of Easee, said in a statement: “The Easee Sun Run goes a long way to showing what clean mobility is capable of today. In connecting electric vehicles, renewable generation and energy storage into one flexible ecosystem that works together efficiently, clean transport can become more resilient and more accessible.
Many of the technologies needed to deliver that are already here, and they’re in action today – from intelligent home charging to scalable, business-ready solutions that help fleets make the switch. The journey we’ve just completed may be poetic, but it’s squarely grounded in the reality of smart, clean technology available to consumers and businesses now.“
Highlighting solar projects across the UK
Rather than treating the drive as a simple dash to the finish, the team used the route to spotlight people and projects shaping solar energy across the UK. The group marked the summer solstice near Stonehenge and charged at the UK’s first commercial solar farm in Chard, Somerset, before visiting Derbyshire’s Whaley Bridge Cricket Club, where an off-grid solar system has helped turn the club into a community hub.
The journey then took in next-generation rollable solar materials at Swansea University in Wales, and research at Durham University on an ultra-efficient vehicle built to race on energy drawn directly from the sun. In Scotland, a solar pyramid south of Edinburgh hosted the expedition before the team continued north to the remote coastline of Dunrobin, where residents in the grounds of Dunrobin Castle use solar generation and battery storage to support off-grid living and business operations.
Taken together, the stops were meant to illustrate how solar energy already supports homes and communities while also powering commercial fleets, scientific research and long-distance electric travel.
Smart charging built around renewables
Easee’s smart charging technology is designed to work alongside renewable-energy systems by adapting charging to the power available. Its solar charging setup can track generation and adjust charging accordingly, helping drivers make greater use of locally generated electricity.
The Sun Run builds on an earlier Easee solar-charging pilot in Canada’s Northwest Territories, which ran in sub-Arctic winter conditions and showed how portable solar generation, battery storage and smart charging could support electric mobility beyond conventional grid infrastructure. By completing a full Land’s End to John O’Groats run in a standard production vehicle, the companies say they have now demonstrated the same principle over an extended, real-world drive.
A film telling the story of the journey, and the people who came together to make it happen, can be viewed here.
