News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by agumonkey on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:31PM (#20364669)
how much power does an AC use (say on medium settings) ?
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by redwall_hp on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:47PM (#20364803)
Wikipedia says 3kW https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_air_conditioning#Po...

It also says that the most efficient photovoltaics yield 175W per square meter. (Though I've seen figures as high as 200W.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel#Efficiencies

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by hwillis on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:51PM (#20364831)
That's for a belt-driven A/C, tied directly to the engine RPM. They're inherently much less efficient because they have to work over a wide range of speeds. A motor-driven A/C will be 1-2 kW.

That's also the peak power, and a motorized A/C will instead be turned on and off leading to a much lower power draw that also depends less on the peak power. Typically a 50-30% duty cycle, so 200-300 watts very roughly. More depending on the insulation, sun, and outside temperature.

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by robocat on Friday July 05, 2019 @06:55PM (#20366547)
And if instead of getting into a sweltering 330K car, if 300W was enough power to cool it to a reasonable 300K, that's still a win. Happy to start car to cool it down to a comfier 295K.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by WrtCdEvrydy on Friday July 05, 2019 @07:56PM (#20366818)
This man is using Kelvin... why do you use Kelvin?
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by agumonkey on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:54PM (#20364855)
yeah forget it, 3kW is small house scale

the best bet with solar panel AC... is to cover all windows with them so sunlight doesn't heat the inside of the car when parked. :cough:

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by hwillis on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:49PM (#20364824)
Window units range from 700 W to 2+ kW. The Model 3 has a pretty powerful one, at least 1 kW. That's peak draw, and it'll turn on and off intermittently[1]. Average draw should work out to 200-300 watts for medium.

[1]: Like a fridge. Refrigeration systems are most efficient at full power. IIRC it's due to the restrictor plate separating the hot and cold radiators- it's designed to work at a certain rate of flow, so you'll get gas and liquid mixing at lower power.

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by SigmundA on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:43PM (#20364767)
Not sure on medium but I think ev A/C like Tesla's are 15,000 btu units. A 15k btu a/c should be between 1000-1600 watts depending on efficiency.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by cj on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:49PM (#20364820)
This probably isn't the most reliable source, but the infotainment screen on my VW estimates the hourly gas consumption for the climate system.

Running on Max A/C, the screen reads just under 1/8 gal/hr. With the A/C on and with the fans at 50%, consumption is a little less but still around 1/8 gal/hr. Consumption drops too low to get a reading when A/C is off with fans 50%.

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by temporaryvector on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:43PM (#20364762)
I'm actually not sure in terms of car AC. Local wisdom says that on hot days your AC will sap up to 10 HP from your engine. Not sure how accurate that is.

Looking around on Telsa forums and the like, I'm seeing numbers between 1 and 3 kW. My house's mini split AC unit draws around 9 amps (according to documentation, anyway), so around 2 kW. Actual numbers seem to be closer to 3 kW in the summer.

Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by jmpman on Friday July 05, 2019 @03:23PM (#20365103)
I currently have my Tesla plugged in to my 6kw home charger, with the AC blasting, and the range isn’t increasing, leading me to believe that the AC running 100% takes around 6kw.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by agumonkey on Friday July 05, 2019 @02:56PM (#20364868)
hmm, gets me wondering if that's why my car can't climb hills when on AC.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by InvaderFizz on Friday July 05, 2019 @04:26PM (#20365582)
That may be part of it. Most (all?) newer cars will automatically cut off the AC pump under heavy acceleration.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by fencepost on Friday July 05, 2019 @03:34PM (#20365192)
"Hang on, I'm hitting the turbo button." (turns off AC)
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by usrusr on Friday July 05, 2019 @03:57PM (#20365362)
Every car with voice control should recognize “divert life support to propulsion" as a command to turn off engine-driven AC.
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by penagwin on Friday July 05, 2019 @04:30PM (#20365618)
Oh man passenger reactions would be so awesome. Suddenly the driver just says "divert life support to propulsion" - and the passengers are like "WAIT WHAT LIFE SUPPORT?!"
Re:Toyota testing improved solar roof for EVs that can charg... by agumonkey on Friday July 05, 2019 @03:39PM (#20365224)
as an 80s kid you don't know how much I love your idea..