Joined
·
1,359 Posts
We often get asked about solar panels on EV's and I thought this video might be useful in the future 
True... and applicable to most vehicles, EV or not. Decades ago U-Haul rented travel trailers - built to their design and specification - and had each of them equipped with a small solar panel to keep the battery alive between uses. That's still a decent idea, especially with extensive electronics in modern cars causing battery run-down problems, and still about all that a vehicle-mounted panel is good for.However, to prevent battery bleed down on an extended trip leaving the car at the airport? Might be almost mandatory.
Sure, if you have piles of rooftop space on a 5 to 10 ton vehicle, and ongoing power demand while parked, solar panels make a great deal of sense. RV installations are very common.It is also critical for the millions of people that live off-grid in their vehicles for extended periods.
True... and applicable to most vehicles, EV or not. Decades ago U-Haul rented travel trailers - built to their design and specification - and had each of them equipped with a small solar panel to keep the battery alive between uses. That's still a decent idea, especially with extensive electronics in modern cars causing battery run-down problems, and still about all that a vehicle-mounted panel is good for.
Well, there's one more: a panel-equipped vehicle can run a ventilation fan to the extent permitted by power available from the panel. This reduces interior overheating, and the solar panel output is nicely matched to demand due to solar heating of the vehicle interior.