Ford has come up with an interesting way to charge electric cars – a solar panel which grows beyond its roof when it’s parked.

The website GearPatrol.com has spotted a patent application lodged in the US which shows how the retractable cover extends across a vehicle, increasing the area of solar panels and therefore the amount of energy that can be generated.

Gear Patrol adds that, while solar is seen as a good option for the future, current technology doesn’t allow enough electricity to be really useful with one solution with panels on the roof only generating enough electricity to produce about two miles of driving per day.

(Picture – Ford’s patent application)