MEV 1 at Tour de Sol 86

The Migros Electric Vehicle No. 1 (MEV 1) attracted lots of attention at the 1986 Tour de Sol, a Swiss event that started out in 1985 as the first race for solar vehicles and later also promoted other forms of sustainable mobility and renewable energies. The MEV 1 won in the solar car for mass production category. Under the leadership of Roger Burri, it was constructed in the workshop of a Migros distribution centre based on the ETH Zurich's racing car. Migros sponsored the project too. The solar module was attached to the rear of the vehicle like a board and was supplemented by a solar recharging unit when the vehicle was stationary.

MEV 1 marked the start of a concept phase in which Migros evaluated a vehicle project called "Swissmobil" together with the electronics company Autophon AG and the energy department of the Canton of Zurich. The idea was for Migros to mass-produce and sell a refined model. Even though Migros did not ultimately enter into the mass production of solar-powered vehicles, MEV 1 still had a major impact on the automotive industry.