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I wish we could charge modern EVs directly from Solar/DC. This couple [1] are driving right around Africa in an EV powered from solar panels they're carrying w

by grecy 3y ago

I wish we could charge modern EVs directly from Solar/DC. This couple [1] are driving right around Africa in an EV powered from solar panels they're carrying with them, and they're using a prototype very expensive and heavy solution to get the direct DC charging to work. I'm thinking of doing something similar, but I can't figure out how I'll do it without running around 400Ah of 48V Lithium battery. The panels can charge that using a regular old MPPT charge controller (or two). Then I'll run a big inverter (5000W) from that to get to AC power, and plug a regular EV charger into that. Does anyone have a better solution? [1] https://www.instagram.com/4x4electric/ https://www.instagram.com/4x4electric/

deleted 3y ago
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quickthrowman 3y ago
> I'm thinking of doing something similar, but I can't figure out how I'll do it without running around 400Ah of 48V Lithium battery. The panels can charge that using a regular old MPPT charge controller (or two). Then I'll run a big inverter (5000W) from that to get to AC power, and plug a regular EV charger into that. That’s how I would approach it, solar panels feeding an inverter, which feeds the regular old EV charger. Toss in some batteries to store excess power. Might as well use off the shelf parts instead of engineering custom direct DC charging.
- grecy 3y ago
  > That’s how I would approach it, solar panels feeding an inverter, which feeds the regular old EV charger. Toss in some batteries to store excess power. Might as well use off the shelf parts instead of engineering custom direct DC charging. Thanks. The challenge is that is all heavy and takes up a ton of space inside the vehicle.
chris222 3y ago
The biggest problem is you need to match the pack voltage when DC charging.
- grecy 3y ago
  I figure I can just put the solar panels in series until I get the desired voltage.... but surely I'll need something between the solar panels and the vehicle battery to manage the charging.

by grecy 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

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quickthrowman 3y ago

> I'm thinking of doing something similar, but I can't figure out how I'll do it without running around 400Ah of 48V Lithium battery. The panels can charge that using a regular old MPPT charge controller (or two). Then I'll run a big inverter (5000W) from that to get to AC power, and plug a regular EV charger into that. That’s how I would approach it, solar panels feeding an inverter, which feeds the regular old EV charger. Toss in some batteries to store excess power. Might as well use off the shelf parts instead of engineering custom direct DC charging.

grecy 3y ago
> That’s how I would approach it, solar panels feeding an inverter, which feeds the regular old EV charger. Toss in some batteries to store excess power. Might as well use off the shelf parts instead of engineering custom direct DC charging. Thanks. The challenge is that is all heavy and takes up a ton of space inside the vehicle.

chris222 3y ago

The biggest problem is you need to match the pack voltage when DC charging.

grecy 3y ago
I figure I can just put the solar panels in series until I get the desired voltage.... but surely I'll need something between the solar panels and the vehicle battery to manage the charging.