Zolar lands coup with Toyota

Car giant Toyota is collaborating with startup Zolar. In the future, the cooperation could go much further, Startbase has learned.

Berlin-based solar startup Zolar could soon take a huge step with Japanese automaker Toyota. The two companies are already working together to advance the development of sustainable technology for e-mobility. The companies want to unite power generation, electricity storage and electromobility. So far, the collaboration consists of the companies referring to each other. Zolar recommends that customers buy a Toyota e-car in the future. When buying a car, Toyota is supposed to point out that an e-car with solar power is more environmentally friendly - and Zolar can help with that. In the future, much more is to come.

The core of the future cooperation: Zolar could soon rent e-cars from Toyota, Startbase learned. Toyota's first e-car, the bZ4X model, is expected to launch as early as this summer. Once that happens, customers will be able to rent the Toyota car directly through Zolar. The solar system and wallbox would then come with the matching e-car if desired.

Homeowners can already use photovoltaic systems - in combination with a wallbox - to charge electric cars with solar power. According to Zolar, it wants to simplify this: With a configurator, homeowners can plan, configure and buy their photovoltaic system online. Zolar has already been offering solar system rentals since July 2021.

Toyota has also set its sights high in the field of electrical engineering: The company plans to launch 30 new electric car models around the world by 2030. "The partnership with Zolar and the associated option for customers to charge their e-cars with clean and green solar power from their own roofs will drive this goal even faster," hopes Mario Köhler of Toyota Germany. "The expansion of private charging infrastructure is a crucial factor for the long-term success of electromobility," says Zolar CEO Alex Melzer. "E-mobility and photovoltaics can no longer be considered separately - only together can we holistically shape the mobility revolution."

Alex Melzer and Gregor Loukidis founded the start-up in Berlin in 2016. The greentech employs more than 330 people across Germany. Toyota, meanwhile, was the world's largest automaker in 2020 in terms of production numbers. In 2020 alone, the company produced about 9.53 million vehicles. Toyota is headquartered in Japan.