Task 17 enables collaboration among research institutions, industry stakeholders, and policymakers by providing access to comprehensive studies and practical experience in the field of “PV and transport.” In the transport sector—particularly in passenger vehicles— electric vehicles (EVs) are being widely adopted as key solutions for reducing CO₂ emissions. In alignment with this trend, numerous countries and regulatory bodies have introduced and implemented vehicle emission targets and policy measures to accelerate the deployment and use of electric vehicles (EVs). In contrast, the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and trailers, presents comparatively greater technical and economic challenges than that of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
As transportation becomes increasingly electrified and electricity demand for vehicle charging grows, photovoltaic (PV) will play a critical role in ensuring that EV adoption translates into substantial CO₂ emission reductions. The distributed nature of PV generation creates new opportunities for charging battery electric vehicles. Low-carbon charging solutions include the use of grid-connected electricity supplied by PV or other renewable sources, dedicated charging infrastructure with on-site PV generation, and direct on-board PV systems integrated into vehicles (PV-powered vehicles). The characteristics, technical requirements, and suitability of each approach vary depending on the specific vehicle category and use case.
To contribute to the decarbonization of the transport sector while supporting PV market expansion, Task 17 seeks to assess and clarify the potential of PV integration in transport applications and to develop strategic pathways for practical implementation. The scope of Task 17 encompasses a broad range of PV-powered vehicle categories—including passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, and other specialized vehicles—as well as PV applications within electric mobility systems and infrastructure, such as PV-powered charging facilities, battery integration, and advanced energy management systems.
The main goal of Task 17 is to accelerate and structure the deployment of PV in the transport sector, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions while fostering sustainable PV market expansion.
Throughout 2025, Task 17 published two journal articles:
The main goal of Task 17 is to deploy PV usage in transport, which will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions of the sector and enhancing PV market expansions.
To reach this goal, the Task 17 has the following objectives:
The results of this task contribute to clarifying the potential for utilisation of PV in transport and they indicate how the concepts could be realised.
The scope of the task includes PV-powered vehicles such as PLDVs (passenger light duty vehicles), LCVs (light commercial vehicles), HDVs (heavy duty vehicles) and other vehicles, and PV applications for electric systems and infrastructures such as charging infrastructures with PV, battery and other power management systems.
Subtask 1 will clarify expected/possible benefits and requirements for utilising PV-powered vehicles for driving and for auxiliary power.
Subtask 2 will discuss energy systems to design PV-powered infrastructures for EVs charge.
Subtask 3 will develop a roadmap for deployment of PV-powered vehicles and applications, as well as the resilience and the business model.
Subtask 4 will communicate with stakeholders such as PV industry, transport industry such as automobile industry, battery industry, and energy service provider, in many different ways ranging from workshops to papers and reports.
The IEA PVPS Task 17’s Workplan addresses issues on PV-powered applications such as PV-powered vehicles, PV equipped electricity supply equipment and integrated electrical systems consisting of PV-powered vehicles including cars, trucks, etc., mainly from technical viewpoints, and also includes issues on expected benefits from users’ and stakeholders’ viewpoints, in addition to energy and environmental aspects. As a crosscutting issue, a roadmap for deployment of PV usage in transport and reducing CO2 emissions of the sector will be discussed.
The project requires the involvement of key players in the PV industry including experts from system/application design, the transport industry such as automobile companies, the storage and electrical system industry, energy service providers, researchers in these fields, and political and institutional experts connecting PV (renewable energy) and transport.
