2 ms·

I think 1600 watts of solar panels produces enough energy to drive an EV 12000 miles a year. Your car though would have to be always plugged in during the day.

by Gibbon1 3mo ago

I think 1600 watts of solar panels produces enough energy to drive an EV 12000 miles a year. Your car though would have to be always plugged in during the day. But probably 3200 watts would be enough for a car used for commuting to be charged mornings, evenings, and weekends.

gpm 3mo ago
> Your car though would have to be always plugged in during the day Or just have a second stationary battery to store up the energy while you're away during the day.
- sitkack 3mo ago
  Two cars, much cheaper than a second battery pack. And you have a supply of rolling spare parts.
  - gpm 3mo ago
    This is probably the case right now, but I have faith the market will mature and fix that absurdity.
    - sitkack 3mo ago
      i was thinking used where you can get a Nissan Leaf which is a 75 kW, 20 kWh rolling battery pack.
  - bryanlarsen 3mo ago
    That's no longer the case. You can buy Chinese rack batteries for prices approaching $100/kWh.
    - gpm 3mo ago
      Are they UL certified? If so do you have a brand you can point me at by any chance?
      - bryanlarsen 3mo ago
        > UL certified? Not generally, although some are. The UL certification will put you at the top end of the $100 - $200 / kWh range I mentioned. Eco-worthy and UZ are two brands with such certification. Will Prowse reviews a bunch of these.
        gpm 3mo ago
        Thanks :)
bruce511 3mo ago
Not to be picky, but 1600w is a really small solar system. These days a panel is around 500w. Where I stay 8 panels is a "small" system. I have 20. In summer that generates 85% of my household needs. (It would be 100% but I deliberately only got a very small 5kw battery.) In winter it's less (mostly because of heating requirements). But I have space for some more panels, so I'm running the numbers. (I'm currently getting 16% return on capital spent, and there's a point of diminishing returns.) Obviously ymmv. There are roof, and land, constraints. There are financial constraints etc. But being off-grid, or partially off grid, is very possible for a lot of folk.
- Gibbon1 3mo ago
  Just making the point that the cost of solar panels to power a car is a fraction of the purchase price of the car. If the world can afford to manufacture 100 million light vehicles a year it can afford to manufacture the solar panels to power them.

by Gibbon1 3mo ago

gpm 3mo ago

> Your car though would have to be always plugged in during the day Or just have a second stationary battery to store up the energy while you're away during the day.

sitkack 3mo ago
Two cars, much cheaper than a second battery pack. And you have a supply of rolling spare parts.
- gpm 3mo ago
  This is probably the case right now, but I have faith the market will mature and fix that absurdity.
  - sitkack 3mo ago
    i was thinking used where you can get a Nissan Leaf which is a 75 kW, 20 kWh rolling battery pack.
- bryanlarsen 3mo ago
  That's no longer the case. You can buy Chinese rack batteries for prices approaching $100/kWh.
  - gpm 3mo ago
    Are they UL certified? If so do you have a brand you can point me at by any chance?
    - bryanlarsen 3mo ago
      > UL certified? Not generally, although some are. The UL certification will put you at the top end of the $100 - $200 / kWh range I mentioned. Eco-worthy and UZ are two brands with such certification. Will Prowse reviews a bunch of these.
      - gpm 3mo ago
        Thanks :)

bruce511 3mo ago

Not to be picky, but 1600w is a really small solar system. These days a panel is around 500w. Where I stay 8 panels is a "small" system. I have 20. In summer that generates 85% of my household needs. (It would be 100% but I deliberately only got a very small 5kw battery.) In winter it's less (mostly because of heating requirements). But I have space for some more panels, so I'm running the numbers. (I'm currently getting 16% return on capital spent, and there's a point of diminishing returns.) Obviously ymmv. There are roof, and land, constraints. There are financial constraints etc. But being off-grid, or partially off grid, is very possible for a lot of folk.

Gibbon1 3mo ago
Just making the point that the cost of solar panels to power a car is a fraction of the purchase price of the car. If the world can afford to manufacture 100 million light vehicles a year it can afford to manufacture the solar panels to power them.