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[Galaxidan]

Hello, new member first post.
I have a small construction company and I currently use an F250 diesel to pull my 7x14 trailer.
I outfitted my trailer with a solar system, batteries, and a 5k watt inverter so I have power to run saws chargers ECT.
My trailer is connected to my current truck 6-7 days a week.
I drive max 60-70 miles a day.

I have the idea that I could add more solar panels to my trailer to act a charger for the truck while it sits at jobsite ect? Thoughts?

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[KevinC]

Hello, new member first post.
I have a small construction company and I currently use an F250 diesel to pull my 7x14 trailer.
I outfitted my trailer with a solar system, batteries, and a 5k watt inverter so I have power to run saws chargers ECT.
My trailer is connected to my current truck 6-7 days a week.
I drive max 60-70 miles a day.

I have the idea that I could add more solar panels to my trailer to act a charger for the truck while it sits at jobsite ect? Thoughts?

It's an interesting idea. I'd love to know how it turns out. Some other manufacturers are messing around with putting a panel on the roof of a car EV but those seem pretty small and limited.

 

[Fordskeptic]

I have no experience with EV's but imagine plugging the F150L into the inverter will be similar to charging from the house on 120v. Presumably, you will be using the F150L pro power on the jobsite, so basically replenishing what you are draining using power tools. To make best use of solar generated power, you may be able to still draw a little power from the trailer inverter while slow charging the F150L if your solar array is producing more than what is being used to slow charge the F150L. That's my guess, anyway.

 

[Ruination]

Not going to work very well if we are being honest.

 

[Nick Gerteis]

Yes, this will totally work. Good thinking! If you fill up the trailer roof space with panels you can generate up to 2kW. Over the course of the day it’ll add up to probably 10-12 kWh, which will translate to 25 miles added range on the truck. You should be able to keep your existing inverter and batteries, just add panels. I drive a mail truck for a living, and I wish they would go electric, and put solar up top. With routes at my office between 15 and 25 miles we’d rarely even have to plug in. Good luck with it!

 

[TaxmanHog]

My trailer is connected to my current truck 6-7 days a week.
I drive max 60-70 miles a day.

Since your travel distance is relatively short, you have plenty of reserve to supply 120/240 to the trailer and still enough to get you home each day for over night top off 80-90%

Remove all the solar equipment and batteries to lighten your load, sell it or set it up as a home emergency use system, maybe use it for load shaving for one of your home appliances, Fridge, Freezer, etc.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Hello, new member first post.
I have a small construction company and I currently use an F250 diesel to pull my 7x14 trailer.
I outfitted my trailer with a solar system, batteries, and a 5k watt inverter so I have power to run saws chargers ECT.
My trailer is connected to my current truck 6-7 days a week.
I drive max 60-70 miles a day.

I have the idea that I could add more solar panels to my trailer to act a charger for the truck while it sits at jobsite ect? Thoughts?

We need to make a couple of assumptions to walk through this.

1)Let’s make the assumption that what you currently have is enough for only your tools with no extra capacity.

2)Lets assume the truck uses 400wh/mi, optimistically.

3)You’re grabbing 320w solar panels and optimistically have 0 efficiency losses

4)Let’s also assume you can get 7 hours of full sun.

These are all highly optimistic and unlikely assumptions.

But based on those assumptions here’s the math:
At 60-70 miles that would be a consumption of 24000-28000 Wh/day

Each panel of solar would net you 2,240wh/day.

You would need 10-13 panels to full recover your energy usage.

Is it possible? Yes.
Is it cost effective? Depends on your business accountant.

You’re really limited by space and money. But there’s no rule saying you couldn’t do a partial recovery either.

 

[Galaxidan]

I currently have one 100w panel and 2 1000cca batteries in the trailer. Rarely do I see less than 75% charge on the batteries with my daily usage and Florida sun. Usually the meter is 100%. I could fit 7 more of those panels on the top of the trailer. I just think it would be cool to know I'm getting a "free" recharge and customers currently get all intrigued when I don't need to run cords to go to work. Be nice to say it also keeps my truck topped up during the day lol.

Unfortunately the pro model was sold out by the time I went to order. I submitted all the info to my dealer and they never ordered it. I ended up doing it online but had to get an XLT. I ended up with all the tow packages and the spray in bed liner an standard battery. Couldn't justify the added cost of the larger battery. Hopefully I don't regret that decision.
Really wanted the pro with the big battery.

 

[jazzmanmonty]

Yes, this will totally work. Good thinking! If you fill up the trailer roof space with panels you can generate up to 2kW. Over the course of the day it’ll add up to probably 10-12 kWh, which will translate to 25 miles added range on the truck. You should be able to keep your existing inverter and batteries, just add panels. I drive a mail truck for a living, and I wish they would go electric, and put solar up top. With routes at my office between 15 and 25 miles we’d rarely even have to plug in. Good luck with it!

I used to be a rural carrier and used my own car (driving from the passager seat was fun!). I would burn thru almost half a tank (about 9 gallons) for my route which was around 50 miles if I recall correctly. This would be equivalent to about 250 miles highway. So I got about 20% range from stop and go/mostly first gear driving vs what I'd get highway. I think if regenerative braking is as good as it sounds in theory, it would be great for postal deliveries. But if EVs use alot more power initially from stop to go like an ICE does, then it may not work out too well.

 

[Nick Gerteis]

I used to be a rural carrier and used my own car (driving from the passager seat was fun!). I would burn thru almost half a tank (about 9 gallons) for my route which was around 50 miles if I recall correctly. This would be equivalent to about 250 miles highway. So I got about 20% range from stop and go/mostly first gear driving vs what I'd get highway. I think if regenerative braking is as good as it sounds in theory, it would be great for postal deliveries. But if EVs use alot more power initially from stop to go like an ICE does, then it may not work out too well.

City carrier here. Yeah you couldn’t pay me enough to handle mail while driving from the passenger seat….on a highway where people go 70, swerving to miss you. EVs are the exact opposite of gas cars when it comes to efficiency: terrible at highway speeds but super efficient at low in-town speeds and stop-n-go. So mail delivery would be a perfect use case, USPS just thinks change is scary and progress is dangerous. Unfortunately.

 

[hturnerfamily]

as for the question of whether adding 'more' solar panels to an existing 'solar trailer', to provide charging to the truck while at a work site - I would say that the answer is an easy no. No, because the amount of solar power required to substantially charge the truck would require a LOT of solar power - what you really want to do is simply continue to use the solar trailer to power your tools and let the truck charge at home each night. I suspect, though, that with your short commute, you might even find that the solar trailer is not even needed anymore - the truck's own power plant will provide the miles, AND the power at the site.
Keep the solar trailer as a backup plan for now, but I believe that after a few weeks of LIGHTNING ownership, you'll be selling the solar.

And don't fret about the 'bigger' battery - there's absolutely no sense in spending $15,000 more for only 70 more 'miles'... you'll probably find, especially if you no longer pull the trailer, that you may even get closer to 300. We'll see when the 'real world' EPA and customer usage trials finally start, soon.

 

[Galaxidan]

With my business ( seamless gutter contractor) I'm stuck hauling the trailer anyways. It's already setup for running all my equipment anyways so don't plan on selling the solar setup. I'll probably put the max amount of panels on the roof and see how many miles I gain?

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