Re:Solar panels on cars make no sense
by jjav on Sunday January 29, 2023 @04:30PM
(#34572975)
> Justify why you think you can only stick a single 400W panel on a car.
Have you looked at the size of solar panels per watt and the flat area available on a car?
I have solar panels on a boat and the area is approximately (don't have measurements here with me) about the size of the roof of a regular sedan. All I could fit there was 110W worth of panels. If you have a long, wide SUV you can do more but only so much more.
In practice, those 110W worth of panels really only deliver 40W-50W to the batteries on a good sunny afternoon in California. The angle isn't perfect just like it won't be on a car which reduces output quite a bit.
It's worth it on a boat because I'm only charging the batteries to power the electronics so it's borderline enough. On an EV which uses tens of kW to move, it would be a microscopic contribution.
Have you looked at the size of solar panels per watt and the flat area available on a car?
I have solar panels on a boat and the area is approximately (don't have measurements here with me) about the size of the roof of a regular sedan. All I could fit there was 110W worth of panels. If you have a long, wide SUV you can do more but only so much more.
In practice, those 110W worth of panels really only deliver 40W-50W to the batteries on a good sunny afternoon in California. The angle isn't perfect just like it won't be on a car which reduces output quite a bit.
It's worth it on a boat because I'm only charging the batteries to power the electronics so it's borderline enough. On an EV which uses tens of kW to move, it would be a microscopic contribution.