Solar Tech Inspired by Fish Skin Wins Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator Top Prize

COLOGNE, Germany – A pioneering solar panel body wrapper for electric vehicles that was inspired by friction reducing fish skin, has just taken first prize at the 2026 Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator event.

Developed by students from Loughborough University, under the project name Aqua Volt, the technology comprises solar panels that overlap like fish scales on the vehicle’s body panels to reduce aerodynamic drag by as much as 25 per cent while harvesting energy from the sun.

Team-member Fadiya Fathima Muhammad explains: “The wrapper is built into a lightweight carbon-fibre composite shell and coated with a self-healing polyurethane layer that repairs scratches under sunlight, extending durability and lowering maintenance costs.

“A smart power management system channels clean solar energy directly into the vehicle’s battery, providing a meaningful daily boost in range without reliance on the grid. With its combination of biomimicry, sustainability, and advanced materials, Aqua Volt transforms mobility into a cleaner, safer, and more resilient experience.”

Aqua Volt pipped 10 other projects from four universities across Germany, Spain and the UK to first prize at the third Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator event, which saw regional winners from this year’s Ford Smart Mobility Challenges go head-to-head for the chance to win cash grants of 15,000 Euros, 10,000 Euros and 5,000 Euros.

This year’s Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator Event was hosted at the TH Köln University in Germany.

Ford Philanthropy’s Judith Kleinemeyer explains: “Ford Philanthropy supports Universities in the UK, Germany, and Spain to run the Ford Smart Mobility Challenge which challenges University teams to develop a sustainable urban mobility solution with a clear community benefit. Some student teams win a start-up grant via the challenge and have subsequently gone on to launch very successful mobility initiatives.

“Bringing together Smart Mobility teams from the participating Universities in Europe to take part in the Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator event is all about sharing peer to peer learning, problem solving, benefiting from additional entrepreneurial resources and training and having the chance to win a scale-up grant to take their project even further.”

Taking second place, and a 10,000 Euro grant, is a project called HaPee developed by students from Valencia University. HaPee is a digital tool that supports inclusive mobility by helping users - especially those with incontinence related conditions, or young children - find toilets during their urban journeys. By mapping the location, features, and accessibility of toilets, it enables confident, autonomous and sustainable mobility, while improving quality of life of vulnerable collectives.

In third place, receiving a 5,000 Euro grant, is the EverPark project conceived by a Madrid University team. EverPark solves the problem of parking in the city by leveraging existing parking spots and private garages to redefine the way people park. It facilitates interaction between people looking for a parking spot on the street with people leaving those same spots, while also allowing users to rent private garage spaces by the hour.