4 ms·

Solar charging can add only approximately 3 miles of range per hour of full sunlight charging. Too slow for the intended purpose.

conorcleary 4y ago
Uhh that sounds pretty damn good to someone parked in a Walmart parking lot with no plotted next destination.
- Reubachi 4y ago
  we come full circle, that's not who's after these vehicles. The person parked in a parking lot in walmart likely would have a RV or regular commuter car, not a fully decked out 150k conversion van. To OP point, rich people pretending to play poor for vlogging and self-idealized virtuosity can't wait 5+ days to get 200m range out of solar panels, videos gotta go out daily!
  - conorcleary 4y ago
    You and every other anti-EV comedian is only acknowledging the 1 and 0 states of a battery - full and empty. Partially discharged, charging, and 'just need to get a couple of miles' are also very real possibilities fulfilled by having a small array on the roof.
  - reddog 4y ago
    If only. If you had 3, 100w solar panels on top of your ev van it would take about two months of charging to go 200 miles. That’s assuming clear skies and parking in full sun. This is based on current Teslas reportedly getting 100m of range on 34kWh and your solar setup being 70% efficient.
chris_st 4y ago
I think gp meant that you can get enough electricity to live off-grid, that is, powering appliances, not powering the van itself.
- cfeduke 4y ago
  Yeah, though this is probably after market upgrade department, along with all the living quarter conversions that come with the territory. I can't imagine many after market installers not having a solar panel option for these.
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  You can achieve that with a battery unit tucked in a corner, though.
  - AtlasBarfed 4y ago
    Or when an EV RV comes along, the EV battery is your power battery. EV RVs: - better torque for travelling and towing - regen braking - skateboard battery for maximum interior space and storage - simpler powertrain - battery can function as a home powerwall when you're home, if you have a home - solar panels to keep energy-positive while parked - low center of gravity to offset some of the RV tippiness And Starlink keeps you connected everywhere you go... And IF they solve highway self-driving to the point you can safely let the RV drive and self-recharge overnight... oh my god.
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      I'm not saying it's not good or that it lacks synergy, I'm just saying the EV part isn't important for the specific goal of an electric off-grid experience. > And IF they solve highway self-driving to the point you can safely let the RV drive and self-recharge overnight... oh my god. A moderately optimistic estimate for power production is about 1kWh per square meter of panels per day. With a 25 square meter roof, and saving 80% of the power, that's 20kWh and probably gives you 20-40 miles of range. (If you meant driving and recharging overnight via plugging in, then sure that's cool, but self-driving with stops at stations isn't inherently an electric-exclusive experience.)
D13Fd 4y ago
So you can save something like $10 of gas per day off sitting in the sun? Sounds pretty good for the intended use. That giant battery could potentially power your climate control and appliances etc when off grid. And if you run down the battery by accident, you won’t be stuck for long.
- Comevius 4y ago
  Sitting in the sun cooking to death. Mobile air conditioners running from solar don't tend to perform well. That 800W you can get from solar under ideal conditions is not going to keep everything running.
  - euroderf 4y ago
    So you have to be able to park in the shade and detach the panels and drag them into the sun ? Are there such products ?
  - D13Fd 4y ago
    > Sitting in the sun cooking to death Or getting free heating, depending on the climate.
kragen 4y ago
If that's true, 6 hours per day of sunlight gets you 30 km of driving distance per day. That's faster than walking, and more importantly, it's plenty of distance to find someplace new to park every day so you can avoid annoying sedentists who get suspicious of the new van in their neighborhood.
- tobyjsullivan 4y ago
  What you've described sounds more appropriate for an electric bicycle than a full-size van. If someone only needs to travel < 30 kms per day (per sunny day), then they can fill up the tank on an IC engine for $100 and be set for a month.
  - kragen 4y ago
    You can probably live in a van for less than US$100 per month. You can't live in an electric bicycle at all.
    - JJMcJ 4y ago
      Not if you want to insure it, register it, keep it in good repair, and have a reserve for big repairs.
      - kragen 4y ago
        Yeah, at that level of expenditures it's an asset you're consuming, not an investment you expect to grow over time. If you have big repairs you may be better off buying a new one; I kind of wish I'd done that. You can read my sad story in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33457648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33457648. BTW by "avoid annoying sedentists" upthread I meant "avoid annoying the sedentists", not "avoid the annoying sedentists".
AtlasBarfed 4y ago
Fold-out array + extra ones on the ground next to it? 3 miles per hour is 40 miles per day. You stay in a place for three days off grid you can probably drive back. And bottomless power for cooking, heat, internet/starlink, etc. My dream is an EV RV that has airline-level highway self driving and starlink+solar panels. I'd sell everything and live in that.

conorcleary 4y ago

Uhh that sounds pretty damn good to someone parked in a Walmart parking lot with no plotted next destination.

Reubachi 4y ago
we come full circle, that's not who's after these vehicles. The person parked in a parking lot in walmart likely would have a RV or regular commuter car, not a fully decked out 150k conversion van. To OP point, rich people pretending to play poor for vlogging and self-idealized virtuosity can't wait 5+ days to get 200m range out of solar panels, videos gotta go out daily!
- conorcleary 4y ago
  You and every other anti-EV comedian is only acknowledging the 1 and 0 states of a battery - full and empty. Partially discharged, charging, and 'just need to get a couple of miles' are also very real possibilities fulfilled by having a small array on the roof.
- reddog 4y ago
  If only. If you had 3, 100w solar panels on top of your ev van it would take about two months of charging to go 200 miles. That’s assuming clear skies and parking in full sun. This is based on current Teslas reportedly getting 100m of range on 34kWh and your solar setup being 70% efficient.

chris_st 4y ago

I think gp meant that you can get enough electricity to live off-grid, that is, powering appliances, not powering the van itself.

cfeduke 4y ago
Yeah, though this is probably after market upgrade department, along with all the living quarter conversions that come with the territory. I can't imagine many after market installers not having a solar panel option for these.
Dylan16807 4y ago
You can achieve that with a battery unit tucked in a corner, though.
- AtlasBarfed 4y ago
  Or when an EV RV comes along, the EV battery is your power battery. EV RVs: - better torque for travelling and towing - regen braking - skateboard battery for maximum interior space and storage - simpler powertrain - battery can function as a home powerwall when you're home, if you have a home - solar panels to keep energy-positive while parked - low center of gravity to offset some of the RV tippiness And Starlink keeps you connected everywhere you go... And IF they solve highway self-driving to the point you can safely let the RV drive and self-recharge overnight... oh my god.
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    I'm not saying it's not good or that it lacks synergy, I'm just saying the EV part isn't important for the specific goal of an electric off-grid experience. > And IF they solve highway self-driving to the point you can safely let the RV drive and self-recharge overnight... oh my god. A moderately optimistic estimate for power production is about 1kWh per square meter of panels per day. With a 25 square meter roof, and saving 80% of the power, that's 20kWh and probably gives you 20-40 miles of range. (If you meant driving and recharging overnight via plugging in, then sure that's cool, but self-driving with stops at stations isn't inherently an electric-exclusive experience.)

D13Fd 4y ago

So you can save something like $10 of gas per day off sitting in the sun? Sounds pretty good for the intended use. That giant battery could potentially power your climate control and appliances etc when off grid. And if you run down the battery by accident, you won’t be stuck for long.

Comevius 4y ago
Sitting in the sun cooking to death. Mobile air conditioners running from solar don't tend to perform well. That 800W you can get from solar under ideal conditions is not going to keep everything running.
- euroderf 4y ago
  So you have to be able to park in the shade and detach the panels and drag them into the sun ? Are there such products ?
- D13Fd 4y ago
  > Sitting in the sun cooking to death Or getting free heating, depending on the climate.

kragen 4y ago

If that's true, 6 hours per day of sunlight gets you 30 km of driving distance per day. That's faster than walking, and more importantly, it's plenty of distance to find someplace new to park every day so you can avoid annoying sedentists who get suspicious of the new van in their neighborhood.

tobyjsullivan 4y ago
What you've described sounds more appropriate for an electric bicycle than a full-size van. If someone only needs to travel < 30 kms per day (per sunny day), then they can fill up the tank on an IC engine for $100 and be set for a month.
- kragen 4y ago
  You can probably live in a van for less than US$100 per month. You can't live in an electric bicycle at all.
  - JJMcJ 4y ago
    Not if you want to insure it, register it, keep it in good repair, and have a reserve for big repairs.
    - kragen 4y ago
      Yeah, at that level of expenditures it's an asset you're consuming, not an investment you expect to grow over time. If you have big repairs you may be better off buying a new one; I kind of wish I'd done that. You can read my sad story in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33457648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33457648. BTW by "avoid annoying sedentists" upthread I meant "avoid annoying the sedentists", not "avoid the annoying sedentists".

AtlasBarfed 4y ago

Fold-out array + extra ones on the ground next to it? 3 miles per hour is 40 miles per day. You stay in a place for three days off grid you can probably drive back. And bottomless power for cooking, heat, internet/starlink, etc. My dream is an EV RV that has airline-level highway self driving and starlink+solar panels. I'd sell everything and live in that.