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Looking at it, the "oh duh" moment really hits. Why don't more EVs have solar hoods?
by lallysingh 7y ago
Looking at it, the "oh duh" moment really hits. Why don't more EVs have solar hoods?
- bkanber 7y agoBecause you can't really get that much solar power out of it. This car gains only 12 km of range for every hour it spends in direct sunlight.
- neals 7y agoSo... after 8 hours I would get my entire commute. Sounds great, actually.
- TomMarius 7y agoYou will never get back the cost of that solar panel, you will actually gain money if you just use the electrical plug
- solarkraft 7y ago8 hours of direct sunlight in absolute perfect conditions.
- LeoPanthera 7y agoBecause the sun provides a tiny fraction of the power required to be vaguely useful, plus, solar panels are heavy, reducing the efficiency of the car.
- Someone 7y agoPanels are heavy, cells aren’t. In the extreme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_solar_cell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_solar_cell) ”Film thickness varies from a few nanometers (nm) to tens of micrometers (µm)” That still has to be mounted on something, but that something easily could be the car’s structure (and it is. The site says ”The roof and hood of Lightyear One comprise of five square meters of integrated solar cells within safety glass”) But yes, the power budget still will be small.
- tashoecraft 7y agoBecause it doesn't provide enough energy to warrant the expense.
- pwinnski 7y agoMy Prius has a solar panel on the roof. It provides enough power to run a fan while the car is turned off, keeping the heat from being overwhelming on sunny days. It doesn't provide enough power to run the fan all the time, just periodically.