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They are claiming up to 27.7mi per day left in the sun. If true, my 5mi commute each way would be possible without ever charging the vehicle in the summer... T

They are claiming up to 27.7mi per day left in the sun. If true, my 5mi commute each way would be possible without ever charging the vehicle in the summer... That being s said, curious how this holds up to weather (hail, snow, etc) and whether those numbers are accurate.

agumonkey 7y ago
I think it will make a lot of sense for light vans. A lot more surface.
penagwin 7y ago
Given the small surface area of the roofs, the efficiency of existing solar panels, and how much car companies exaggerate when it comes to miles (do they mean 27.7mi with all the seats removed, etc.) I would expect it to be a practical no-go for anything except sunshine. I'm from michigan, so in the winter assuming you park your car in the open for your job, you can easily expect it to be covered in snow - whenever it snows - which is all winter. So it'd only be beneficial here during the summer, except when it's raining which is currently 3/7 days of the week. I mean it'd be a nice bonus I guess, but at least for my situation it wouldn't make a ton of sense to spend extra on.
- adrianmonk 7y ago
  It would be very climate dependent. Here in Texas, typically I'd have 0 to 5 days per year with snow on my car. And nobody drives on those days anyway. And there are 228 sunny days in an average year. I would be worried about hail, though. I know a lot of people whose cars have been damaged or even totalled by hail.
  - Marsymars 7y ago
    Insurance companies here have worked out that they save money by cloud seeding outside of the cities to minimize hail damage in more populated areas.
Johnny555 7y ago
If true, my 5mi commute each way would be possible without ever charging the vehicle in the summer If you're interested in reducing environmental impact, a bicycle would also let you do that commute without charging and with much less environmental impact than an EV covered in solar cells... though it may be less pleasant in hail and/or snow. If you're just interested in saving money for electricity, then I'd be surprised if the extra cost in adding all of those solar cells is cheaper than paying for the electricity.
chris11 7y ago
The one exception is parking. This isn't as useful if you use covered parking. And with a new car I'd rather use covered parking.
jillesvangurp 7y ago
It's probably going to fluctuate quite a bit. But for a lot of people on average they'd find their car charged of nearly charged when it's been sitting out there for hours/days. The exception would be longer trips, which most people don't do every day.

agumonkey 7y ago

I think it will make a lot of sense for light vans. A lot more surface.

penagwin 7y ago

Given the small surface area of the roofs, the efficiency of existing solar panels, and how much car companies exaggerate when it comes to miles (do they mean 27.7mi with all the seats removed, etc.) I would expect it to be a practical no-go for anything except sunshine. I'm from michigan, so in the winter assuming you park your car in the open for your job, you can easily expect it to be covered in snow - whenever it snows - which is all winter. So it'd only be beneficial here during the summer, except when it's raining which is currently 3/7 days of the week. I mean it'd be a nice bonus I guess, but at least for my situation it wouldn't make a ton of sense to spend extra on.

adrianmonk 7y ago
It would be very climate dependent. Here in Texas, typically I'd have 0 to 5 days per year with snow on my car. And nobody drives on those days anyway. And there are 228 sunny days in an average year. I would be worried about hail, though. I know a lot of people whose cars have been damaged or even totalled by hail.
- Marsymars 7y ago
  Insurance companies here have worked out that they save money by cloud seeding outside of the cities to minimize hail damage in more populated areas.

Johnny555 7y ago

If true, my 5mi commute each way would be possible without ever charging the vehicle in the summer If you're interested in reducing environmental impact, a bicycle would also let you do that commute without charging and with much less environmental impact than an EV covered in solar cells... though it may be less pleasant in hail and/or snow. If you're just interested in saving money for electricity, then I'd be surprised if the extra cost in adding all of those solar cells is cheaper than paying for the electricity.

chris11 7y ago

The one exception is parking. This isn't as useful if you use covered parking. And with a new car I'd rather use covered parking.

jillesvangurp 7y ago

It's probably going to fluctuate quite a bit. But for a lot of people on average they'd find their car charged of nearly charged when it's been sitting out there for hours/days. The exception would be longer trips, which most people don't do every day.