Ford Motor plans to roll out a solar-powered version of its C-Max hybrid compact car during next week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The car uses technology that might remind some people of childhood experiments with a magnifying glass on sunny days. The C-Max concept car uses solar cells on its roof to charge a range-extending battery instead of plugging into the electrical grid. It also uses specially designed lenses that concentrate the sun’s energy on the solar cells like a magnifying glass. As a result, the roof panel gathers much more power than solar panels mounted on some previous cars. Ford said the concept has the potential to deliver the performance of a plug-in hybrid even when no traditional electrical outlets are available. Because the show car is based on the C-Max that is already on the market, it seems more likely Ford will eventually offer […]