solar panel for range boost?

[wingfiry]

I'm wondering if it's possible to mount a 400w solar panel to a camper shell and use it to charge the Lightning a little while driving/sitting to extend the range a bit. Granted, using the panel to fully charge would take forever, but it should help *some* right?

Sponsored

 

[beatle]

I don't think the battery will able to be charged at the same time the vehicle is being driven, but let's pretend you can.

It will help "some" in a technical way, but barely. Depending on how big the battery is (let's pretend 135kwh) it would take 337.5 hours to charge from 0-100%. Or if you're driving for 3 hours in direct sunlight the entire time, you'll recoup a little less than 1% of the battery's capacity. Maybe 1 mile of range per hour of charging. This is at 100% efficiency which we wouldn't see with the need for a step up converter to convert the low voltage of the panel to the high voltage of the battery.

Batteries in high end EVs like the Lightning are incredibly huge. It also takes a LOT of power to move a vehicle down the road, even at a reasonable pace. That scale can be very cool, but very humbling!

 

[wingfiry]

I don't think the battery will able to be charged at the same time the vehicle is being driven, but let's pretend you can.

It will help "some" in a technical way, but barely. Depending on how big the battery is (let's pretend 135kwh) it would take 337.5 hours to charge from 0-100%. Or if you're driving for 3 hours in direct sunlight the entire time, you'll recoup a little less than 1% of the battery's capacity. Maybe 1 mile of range per hour of charging. This is at 100% efficiency which we wouldn't see with the need for a step up converter to convert the low voltage of the panel to the high voltage of the battery.

Batteries in high end EVs like the Lightning are incredibly huge. It also takes a LOT of power to move a vehicle down the road, even at a reasonable pace. That scale can be very cool, but very humbling!

Ahh.. so, technically, it might work, but wouldn't actually make a functional difference due to the size of the battery. That makes sense. Thanks!

It was a fun thought anyway..;-)

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

It would be equivalent to adding a teaspoon of gasoline to your current car every hour.

Same reason we don't walk around with a solar panel on our heads connected to our cell phone...

 

[ChasingCoral]

I'm wondering if it's possible to mount a 400w solar panel to a camper shell and use it to charge the Lightning a little while driving/sitting to extend the range a bit. Granted, using the panel to fully charge would take forever, but it should help *some* right?

The other big issue is that you will be trying to charge a 400v battery with about a 12v source. That is VERY inefficient. However, You could place a 12v battery in the camper and use it as the primary for tasks at camp, even use an A/B switch between that 12v and the Lightning's battery source. You could use the solar panel to run these accessories.

 

[Pedaldude]

Depending on where you parked, it might not even provide enough energy to make up for the self-discharge of the battery.

Solar panels are great for a calculator but for a car, you would need a whole parking lot full of them and lots of sun to be practical. The panels need to be aimed at the sun to reach their rated output. Any deviation from that and it's a steep drop. Even with a tracking system that follows the sun, you only get the most output for a few hours of the day and that's assuming that there are no clouds or trees shading the panels.

For someone who lives in the Southwest, a photovoltaic solar panel covered roof would be effective for charging a truck but even then it's not going to be practical for the average user.

There's already talk about tonneau manufacturers integrating a solar panel for the Lightning and it's a gimmick. Depending on the cost of electricity, the cost of the panels, the cost of constantly dragging the panels around on the truck and the life of the truck. The panel probably won't even pay for itself. Large fixed PV solar installations face challenges competing with conventional electrical generation with the benefit of ideal locations, economies of scale and wholesale purchasing power. There's no way that a consumer, aftermarket automotive accessory can compete economically.

It would make an interesting exercise though, to see roughly how much square footage of PV panels would be needed to charge the Lightning's battery in a day? What would be the cost and how much would the system weigh?

 

[Roy2001]

It simply does not make sense to do it.

 

[Oneand0]

Nice thinking! But, if you decide to manufacture your own solar power at home for your Electric F-150 and want to drive for free, look at this guy! He’s an amazing guru with solar, but it can be done. No Utility company needed, as long the sun is shining. This is where I think the Federal Government will jump in down the road and tax our mileage in the future.

 

[Weither]

Solar panels for a car, you will need good mounts and plenty of sun to be practical. To achieve the rated power, the panels must be directed towards the sun. I would recommend 2 Renogy panels
https://solwiser.com/am-solar-panel-reviews/

The answer to your question is yes.

 

[FORDHOSTAGE]

Get these and you're "golden"!

Ford is AWESOME!

 

[TTT]

Depending on where you are, and the weather, you'd be a lot better off hoisting a spinnaker. That could actually help in some situations. or shooting a Bond-esque grappling hook into a semi in front of you.

None of the mass produced electric cars are actually capable of charging and driving as delivered from the factory as far I I know. There are experiments with inductive charging in roadways that would require additional hardware and software modifications, and you can tow charge most EV's, but that's only taking advantage of the regeneration system. The onboard charging system is generally disabled while driving on most if not all vehicles.

 

[Erik]

or shooting a Bond-esque grappling hook into a semi in front of you.

They actually did something similar with Rivians in the show “the long way up”. They asked semi drivers to tow them when they were low on battery. The Rivian can charge through regen while being towed.

 

[TTT]

They actually did something similar with Rivians in the show “the long way up”. They asked semi drivers to tow them when they were low on battery. The Rivian can charge through regen while being towed.

it works with most any EV. Bolts and Leafs can do it too.

 

[EaglesPDX]

It's what I plan to charge the car and camper while parked. Should get 100 sq ft on the camper roof which is 400wH so 4kWh on a sunny day. 10 miles on the F150 and probably a days lights, microwave, hot water on the camper.

Putting 40 miles into the F150 battery on a four day boating/camping trip will definitely help with the range anxiety plus running the campsite silently and cleanly.

 

[astricklin]

It's what I plan to charge the car and camper while parked. Should get 100 sq ft on the camper roof which is 400wH so 4kWh on a sunny day. 10 miles on the F150 and probably a days lights, microwave, hot water on the camper.

Putting 40 miles into the F150 battery on a four day boating/camping trip will definitely help with the range anxiety plus running the campsite silently and cleanly.

If you get a campsite with a 50amp outlet then you can charge the truck off the campsite and then connect the camper to the pro power onboard

Sponsored