Connecting SOLIS Solar Tonneau Cover to Main Battery

[LHR]

Hi Everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. I recently came across the SOLIS Solar Tonneau Cover by Worksport (details here: SOLIS Solar Tonneau Cover) and I'm intrigued by its potential applications.

I wanted to ask if anyone in the forum has experience or knowledge about connecting the SOLIS Solar Tonneau Cover directly to the main battery of their vehicle. Specifically, I'm interested in understanding the feasibility, any technical considerations, and any potential challenges you might have encountered during the process.

Your insights and experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Best regards,

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[Tony Burgh]

From their website
While the SOLIS cover is capable of charging any electric vehicle (EV), it's important to note that Worksport has not yet developed an adaptor to plug directly into your specific EV model.

The process of connecting the SOLIS cover directly to an EV requires review and approval from the EV manufacturer. While Worksport is actively working with several manufacturers on this, the process can be slow. We are committed to gradually introducing direct connection capabilities to the market as our partnerships with EV manufacturers develop.

In summary, while the SOLIS cover has the potential to charge EVs, the direct connection feature is not currently available. We appreciate your understanding as we work towards making this functionality accessible in the future."

 

[RickLightning]

So, the main issue is that it doesn't do direct connect.

According to initial estimates, Worksport says the solar cover “can contribute meaningfully to the vehicle’s range.” Previous studies have shown the cover can increase range by up to 10 miles in some conditions.

https://electrek.co/2024/02/21/ford-lightning-worksport-solar-cover-off-grid-energy/

10 WHOLE MILES?

 

[MrH42]

$3500, and at best, it would generate 650 watts...

This doesn't make any sense financially. You're just pissing in the ocean. Absolute best case you would get .5% battery charge per hour. Half of that is probably more realistic. For just a handful of hours a day. Just a rounding error.

 

[bmwhitetx]

This is not the magic solution to extending the range of your truck while driving down the road if that's what you're asking. Says it puts out 650 Watts - that's .65 kW. That's lower than the Ford Mobile charger on 120V.

Good for charging their integrated battery to power a small fridge or charge laptops and phones. But not an EV.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

As I recall one Japanese car manufacturer offered a solar roof option on its plug in hybrid....... Have to ask, "How's that working out for them?". You will never see your ROI on a trickle charger.

 

[invertedspear]

10 WHOLE MILES?

You'll wish you had it if you were stranded 5 miles from the charger. Better to have and not need, than need and not have. But at that price point, I'll just make sure to plan a bit better.

 

[Sneakypetie78]

I've wondered about this exact thing though. Not that I'm looking to increase my range, per se. But my truck sits in the CA sun all day. It's reasonable to think it could add something, daily. Definitely over the lifetime. Some % a day, of free sun power.

Then again the ROI is not feasible.

 

[invertedspear]

I've wondered about this exact thing though. Not that I'm looking to increase my range, per se. But my truck sits in the CA sun all day. It's reasonable to think it could add something, daily. Definitely over the lifetime. Some % a day, of free sun power.

Then again the ROI is not feasible.

I think you're really touching on the rub here. It doesn't produce enough to help out on a single trip. And it doesn't produce enough to ever save money unless you only pay DCFC rates, and even then it's still like an 8-10 year ROI

 

[Green1]

Realistically these have no useful function on electric vehicles. Where these actually have a use case is for camping in an ICE vehicle where you're worried about running out of power in your 12v battery.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

This is vaporware nonsense.

No you cannot connect that to the HVDC battery. The battery is 400 volts. Solar panels are about 30 volts. The reason you do not see them having any available "adapters" to plug into any EV is because it will never exist. This is total bullshit vaporware and they're just collecting gullible people's money for a product that is never going to exist. I'm sorry but there is no way you are going to take 30 to 60 volts and do anything with it on an EV. It obviously is not going to DC charge a 400 volt battery. And the conversion loss having to boost and invert to 120vac for level 2 charging would be almost negative gain.

The only thing this piece of junk is useful for is charging a cell phone while camping.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Why is everyone hating on this? It only takes 201 hours to charge from empty to full.

In real life application if I have a 5 mile commute each way, park the truck for a 8 hour work day, I will never have to pay to charge

 

[Green1]

Why is everyone hating on this? It only takes 201 hours to charge from empty to full.

In real life application if I have a 5 mile commute each way, park the truck for a 8 hour work day, I will never have to pay to charge

You are making two very big, and very false assumptions.
1) that you have perfectly bright sun all 8 hours of the day, and that it is aimed directly at the bed of your truck with no shade.
2) that there is some way of converting the power from the cover to the battery with no loss.

There's just no way that this provides anything useful for an electric vehicle. As said before, the only use case for this is camping in an ICE.

 

[JRT]

The issue with a fix flat solar panel is you will have very little 90deg alignment to sun which is ideal angle for maximum efficiency, it is why solar farms track the sun.

 

[RickLightning]

The issue with a fix flat solar panel is you will have very little 90deg alignment to sun which is ideal angle for maximum efficiency, it is why solar farms track the sun.

My observation is that solar farms are designed for where they are installed. By us, most solar panels face south. Some solar farms have various panels at slightly different angles. Not one tracks anything.

We were in Vermont in April. Most of the solar installations I saw (which were smaller than around here), including residential ones, were setup to track the sun. Likely because they were so much further north, and the terrain is steep.

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