Solarflux CEO Naoise Irwin Talks About CASPER & CSP FOCUS Features
I’ve written about Solarflux, its FOCUS parabolic dish, and its new tool, CASPER, which is a concentrating solar power (CSP) performance comparison tool. I’ve also had the pleasure of sitting down with Solarflux CEO Naoise Irwin and CTO John Fangman, who invented the FOCUS dish. This is the second part of that interview, this time talking about CASPER and how to use it, as well as a few other things.
CASPER
In a nutshell, CASPER is a web-based tool that compares the energy collection and conversion efficiency of the Solarflux FOCUS parabolic dish concentrator with a widely used type of CSP. Naoise explained:
“It’s a tool that compares the output of our system versus parabolic trough, which is the other technology that I’ve talked about. What it’s intended to do is to highlight how much more energy you would get in an equivalent area with FOCUS.
“For example, in Phoenix, Arizona, which is a great place for concentrated solar energy because it has so much sun, you get about 30% more energy using our system versus the trough. So we’re just trying to find a simple way for people to compare.”
Naoise demonstrated CASPER and shared the comparison for Baton Rouge, which receives a similar amount of sun as Phoenix. I was a bit surprised seeing that, as we get plenty of rain here.
“It calculates how much energy you’re capturing throughout the year — for our system and for the trough — and it tells you what the difference is.”
Features Of The Focus Parabolic Dish
Naoise told me that the FOCUS parabolic dish had several unique features. It’s made of aluminum and steel, making it extremely recyclable.
“The fact that it’s made from aluminum and steel makes it recyclable and environmentally friendly, and this is something we really like about it. I love photovoltaics (PV), but one of the issues is what happens to all the PV when it gets to end of life? It needs to be recycled, processed.
“They’re made of silicon and all of this processing has gone into making these panels. So, they’re not that easy to take apart at the end of their life. So, they’re going to probably largely end up in landfills, unfortunately, unless a huge recycling strategy is developed. Kind of like what you’re seeing in EV batteries. You’re seeing a big push to find an effective way to recycle the materials. I really haven’t seen that much done on the PV panels, and this is a concern.”
Photovoltaic Recycling & Developing Strategies
Solarflux’s system is relatively low tech, Naoise explained. All of the intellectual property is in the design, and they are using environmentally friendly materials. Regarding the designs, there are special patented features unique to the system.
“All of our materials are environmentally friendly and we won’t have that problem of dumping toxic materials into landfills. We want to highlight that aspect and push the idea for people to try to develop PV recycling.”
In April 2021, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shared the analysis from a study that a team of NREL researchers has been doing. That study was on how to manage retiring PV modules in support of the laboratory’s vision for a circular economy for energy materials. The research looked at laws and literature on the topic and also conducted interviews with solar industry stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers.
This led to the publication of a series of NREL technical reports that narrow down options and opportunities for PV equipment reuse and recycling. The article NREL published noted that currently there’s little incentive for the private industry to invest in PV recycling, repair, or reuse due to current market conditions and regulatory barriers. You can read more about that here.
In the final report, which you can read here, the researchers noted that the projected volume of decommissioned PV modules in the US alone presented end-of-life management concerns but also material recovery and secondary market opportunities.
Solarflux CTO John Fangman also added that the current trend in product development is the circular economy. He added that several electronics companies are looking at what percentage of the process is recyclable.
“In our case, I would say more than 90%.”
Naoise feels that this is a concern for the industry as a whole even though Solarflux doesn’t have the issue.
Next Step For Solarflux
The next step, Naoise said, was to develop consumer interest in the FOCUS parabolic dish. The next big goal is to raise capital while reducing costs.
“We want to move from making prototypes to making actual products that people can buy at a reasonable price. We have a plan for that and the next big step is to kick off that process and get to the point where we can supply these at high volume and low cost.”
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BMW Motorrad’s futuristic electric scooter just got its first real refresh since beginning production in 2021. The BMW CE 04, already one of the most capable and stylish electric maxi-scooters on the market, now gets a set of upgraded trim options, new aesthetic touches, and a more robust list of features that aim to make this urban commuter even more appealing to riders looking for serious electric performance on two wheels.
The BMW CE 04 has always stood out for its sci-fi styling and high-performance drivetrain. It’s built on a mid-mounted liquid-cooled motor that puts out 31 kW (42 hp) and 62 Nm of torque. That’s enough to rocket the scooter from 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in just 2.6 seconds – quite fast for anything with a step-through frame.
The top speed is electronically limited to 120 km/h (75 mph), making it perfectly capable for city riding and fast enough to hold its own on highway stretches. Range is rated at 130 km (81 miles) on the WMTC cycle, thanks to the 8.9 kWh battery pack tucked low in the frame.
But while the core performance hasn’t changed, BMW’s 2025 update focuses on refining the package and giving riders more options to tailor the scooter to their taste. The new CE 04 is available in three trims: Basic, Avantgarde, and Exclusive.
The Basic trim keeps things clean and classic with a Lightwhite paint scheme and a clear windshield. It’s subtle, sleek, and very much in line with the CE 04’s clean-lined aesthetic. The Avantgarde model adds a splash of color with a Gravity Blue main body and bright São Paulo Yellow accents, along with a dark windshield and a laser-engraved rim. The top-shelf Exclusive trim is where things get fancy, with a premium Spacesilver metallic paint job, upgraded wind protection, heated grips, a luxury embroidered seat, and its own unique engraved rim treatment.
There are also a few new tech upgrades baked into the options list. Riders can now spec a 6.9 kW quick charger that reduces the 0–80% charge time to just 45 minutes (down from nearly 4 hours with the standard 2.3 kW onboard charger). Tire pressure monitoring, a center stand, and BMW’s “Headlight Pro” adaptive lighting system are also available as add-ons, along with an emergency eCall system and Dynamic Traction Control.
BMW has kept the core riding components in place: a steel-tube chassis, 15-inch wheels, Bosch ABS (with optional ABS Pro), and the impressive 10.25” TFT display with integrated navigation and smartphone connectivity. The under-seat storage still swallows a full-face helmet, and the long, low frame design means the scooter looks like something out of Blade Runner but rides like a luxury commuter.
With these updates, BMW seems to be further cementing the CE 04’s role at the high end of the electric scooter market. It’s not cheap, starting around €12,000 in Europe and around US $12,500 in the US, with prices going up from there depending on configuration. However, the maxi-scooter delivers real motorcycle-grade performance in a package that’s easier to live with for daily riders.
Electrek’s Take
I believe that the CE 04’s biggest strength has always been that it’s not trying to be a toy or a gimmick. It’s a real vehicle. Sure, it’s futuristic and funky looking, but it delivers on its promises. And in a market that’s still surprisingly sparse when it comes to premium electric scooters, BMW has had the lane mostly to itself. That may not last forever, though. LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off brand, has teased plans for a maxi-scooter-style urban electric vehicle in the coming years, but as of now, it remains something of an undefined future plan.
Meanwhile, BMW is delivering not just a concept bike but a mature, well-equipped, and ready-to-ride electric scooter that keeps improving. For riders who want something faster and more capable than a Class 3 e-bike but aren’t ready to jump to a full-size electric motorcycle, the CE 04 hits a sweet spot. It delivers the performance and capability of a commuter e-motorcycle, yet with the approachability of a scooter. And with these new trims and upgrades, it’s doing it with even more style.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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