Submitted 5 months ago by Blubber28@lemmy.world to [deleted]
Honestly it seems like a no-brainer to me to put a solar panel on the roof of electric cars to increase their action radius, so I figured there’s probably one or more good reasons why they don’t.
Also, I acknowledge that a quick google could answer the question, but with the current state of google I don’t want to read AI bullshit. I want an actual answer, and I bet there will be some engineers eager to explain the issues.
The materials are more expensive and heavy than what car roofs are normally made of, and the charge they would generate is miniscule. It may not even offset the added energy needed to move the car because of the added weight. Particularly if you live far from the equator, or somewhere cloudy, it’s probably not worth it.
When I was a kid (in the early 00’s) there were solar cars on TV and they were always these absurdly shaped pancakes made of ultralight materials and couldn’t even reach road speeds. I’m sure the tech has improved since then, but the real innovation that made electric cars possible was batteries. It’s hard to generate enough energy on the same platform you need to move without it being too heavy.
You’re absolutely right - still absurdly shaped pancakes and they can’t reach highway speeds when powered on solar power alone. They do reach road speeds nowadays but they’re allowed to charge during and after race time (regulations are pretty confusing). I was on a solar car team a few years back.
Also where I live, most cars spend a long time in underground (or at least covered) garages
It would increase the cost and also complicate the manufacturing process.
While that might not be economically feasible, I’ve always wondered why plug-in electrics couldn’t send power back into the grid. No solar? Send energy onto the grid during the day from the car and recharge during the off-hours at night. Solar? Recharge during the day and send energy onto the grid at night. Just make sure to set a minimum charge that will get you to a charging station.
Some do, but to do this, the point of entry to the grid needs to be set up in such a way as to support this, with an automatic transfer switch for when the grid disconnects, and a meter that reads energy use as both incoming and outgoing, rather than the default of all incoming.
Source: am electrician who has installed batteries on peoples houses
IIRC some car batteries can be used that way, but it wears out the battery.
For LFP batteries it’s irrelevant. They have a 3000 cycles to 80% cap, some of the new ones have 6000. That’s 10 or 20 years assuming full discharges an recharges everyday.
Or in terms of lifespan, assuming a realistic 400km range (250 miles), it’s between 1.2M and 2.4M km before the range reduces to 80% (750k and 1.5M miles). The car will be completely Theseus-ed at the point.
So, this concept is too expensive :
(…) In February 2023, the company announced it would cease developing the vehicle, citing a failure to crowdsource sufficient funds.
Solar panels on the roof and hood of a car are dubiously useful. This car has panels on the sides of the doors? Those aren’t going to get a fraction of the light the roof ones will. This just looks like someone tried to shove as many on as possible with zero thought into the efficacy of the idea.
This guy heard you:
It would be cool if they were built into the highway and could charge your car as you drive over it. That might make toll roads almost worth it.
The same could be asked with smartphones.
Why don’t smartphones don’t include solar panels on the back side of the phone?
Do you usually use your phone in the sun or leave it exposed to direct sunlight?
Well, it lays on tables a lot, with the backside facing up.
We buy solar phone chargers for use in the backyard. They work ok. It would take a long time to fully charge, but it will keep you from going empty.
YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
I have a very vague memory of watching a video where someone calculated the amount of energy produced, which was minimal. The benefit vs the cost is very poor.