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Outside of the geeky cool factor, what precisely is the value proposition? You say you have solar on your house. So is it that you don't have to remember to plu

Outside of the geeky cool factor, what precisely is the value proposition? You say you have solar on your house. So is it that you don't have to remember to plug in? Is that a big deal for most people? What if there was some kind of auto-connect when you pulled into your parking spot? Would that be better than carrying around solar panels that don't point at the sun? I read through the absolute technical limits of solar cars once and promptly crossed the idea off in my head. Might as well just have 1000w of folding panels in your trunk that you can set out if you really need off grid charging.

cwkoss 4y ago
Most renters have little control of whether they have access to an EV hookup. This opens up the market to street parkers in the right climates.
- dougmwne 4y ago
  I suppose I could imagine a scenario where maybe a city dweller who doesn't drive much could street park and they could do their grocery runs and occasional running around from the solar self-charge. Then you would be looking at less trips to the public charger. It's probably pretty common in Manhattan to do less than 10 miles a day so you'd only end up at the public charger when the weather was bad. Ok I'm sold on that scenario.
  - cwkoss 4y ago
    I think it could make even more sense in places like Arizona: fewer clouds, trees, and tall buildings. Kind of interesting to ponder that we might soon have car SKUs that are much more regionally localized: a car that works great in CA or AZ, but is entirely impractical for the midwest. (However, I suppose that describes 'convertibles' pretty well)
porphyra 4y ago
Well electricity in the Bay Area costs about $0.50 per kWh (or $0.25 per kWh at night using the ev2-a plan, though it makes everything else more expensive). Having a car that can gradually recharge itself over the day can actually save hundreds of dollars per month (my last bill was like $600), without having to deal with the hassle of installing rooftop solar and having to pay extra money just for having solar installed [1]. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/11/04/california-set-to-release-anti-rooftop-solar-net-metering-plan/ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/11/04/california-set-to-rel...
- dougmwne 4y ago
  Right but what's the problem with plugging into the solar panels that stay in place?
  - porphyra 4y ago
    1. you can charge at work 2. having solar panels that stay in place might cost money per month, as per the link in my last comment
  - Schroedingersat 4y ago
    Renters aren't allowed to put the stationary ones up.
Schroedingersat 4y ago
Technical limits change. The marketing is kinda dishonest (picking perfect conditions during high latitude mid summer), but 10-20mi/day is achievable in many areas/times. The main value proposition I see is an urban renter or someone with only outdoor parking (who also drives less than a suburbanite) only needing to seek out a charger once a month (or maybe not at all during summer). It also lowers grid load from this demographic that would otherwise charge over short durations by 30-80%.

cwkoss 4y ago

Most renters have little control of whether they have access to an EV hookup. This opens up the market to street parkers in the right climates.

dougmwne 4y ago
I suppose I could imagine a scenario where maybe a city dweller who doesn't drive much could street park and they could do their grocery runs and occasional running around from the solar self-charge. Then you would be looking at less trips to the public charger. It's probably pretty common in Manhattan to do less than 10 miles a day so you'd only end up at the public charger when the weather was bad. Ok I'm sold on that scenario.
- cwkoss 4y ago
  I think it could make even more sense in places like Arizona: fewer clouds, trees, and tall buildings. Kind of interesting to ponder that we might soon have car SKUs that are much more regionally localized: a car that works great in CA or AZ, but is entirely impractical for the midwest. (However, I suppose that describes 'convertibles' pretty well)

porphyra 4y ago

Well electricity in the Bay Area costs about $0.50 per kWh (or $0.25 per kWh at night using the ev2-a plan, though it makes everything else more expensive). Having a car that can gradually recharge itself over the day can actually save hundreds of dollars per month (my last bill was like $600), without having to deal with the hassle of installing rooftop solar and having to pay extra money just for having solar installed [1]. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/11/04/california-set-to-release-anti-rooftop-solar-net-metering-plan/ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/11/04/california-set-to-rel...

dougmwne 4y ago
Right but what's the problem with plugging into the solar panels that stay in place?
- porphyra 4y ago
  1. you can charge at work 2. having solar panels that stay in place might cost money per month, as per the link in my last comment
- Schroedingersat 4y ago
  Renters aren't allowed to put the stationary ones up.

Schroedingersat 4y ago

Technical limits change. The marketing is kinda dishonest (picking perfect conditions during high latitude mid summer), but 10-20mi/day is achievable in many areas/times. The main value proposition I see is an urban renter or someone with only outdoor parking (who also drives less than a suburbanite) only needing to seek out a charger once a month (or maybe not at all during summer). It also lowers grid load from this demographic that would otherwise charge over short durations by 30-80%.