Solar power on the roof of an EV car seems like an obvious play. And yes some energy can be derived this way. But it's important to understand the limitations of physics.
When the sun is directly overhead we get about 1kw per square metre. Very good panel effeciency is about 25%. ) I'm rounding a bit to make math easier.) The average car footprint is maybe 6 square meters. Obviously a lot of that is curved away from the sun, or is glass. 4 square meters here is perhaps a reasonable starting point.
Which means if we plaster the car with solar cells, we might get 1kw of output in pretty optimal conditions. Perhaps 12 hours of generation depending on latitude, time of year, and so on.
Most EV cars have 30 to 80 kw batteries (some more). So 12kw of charge per day is not nothing, but also not enough. Given pesky things like shade (from tall builings or trees), undercover parking, clouds and so on, daily average is much lower.
Solar film in general is great. But current pricing makes it cheaper to just install regular solar panels in most places. Less portable maybe, but more (financially) efficient to generate/store/charge as we currently do.
On the other hand the aesthetic of a solar panel car roof is very cool, and maybe covers the aircon power requirements on a hot day.
A solar panel would obviously not cover the usagebof a consumer car while it is being driven.
Consumer cars spend most of their time not being driven. If someone commutes 10 miles to work each day, they would nearly never need to charge the car.
Right, but for a fan, it would work. Cars heat up mostly in direct sunlight. The solar panel could be wired directly to a fan. This would also prevent heat death of dogs and forgotten children.
Uni-Solar used to (or maybe still does?: http://www.uni-solar.com/products/commercial-products/pvl/in...) make flexible 3-mm-thick self-adhesive solar film, and if I remember correctly it could be installed on a roof without a permit, although it still required a permit for the electrical connections, so it probably didn't make things easier.
With some states only requiring UL listed inverters for small plug-in systems, it could become a more viable product.
With plug-in solar initiatives around the world, this will be a gamechanger. If there are superlight, plug and play or DIY install products, everyone can produce energy. No surface left behind!
"Some day, homeowners eager to produce their own energy might not line their roofs with solar panels. Instead, they’ll spray-paint them with a mist full of electricity-generating solar cells."
https://solarwindow.com/electroflex/
There are already multiple solar roof cars. This should make it easier to integrate solar into these designs.
This is the worlds cheapest SOLAR CAR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk6aTKV-des https://www.solarkycar.com/
Alin Chinese Electric Car with Solar Panel CE Approved Electric City Cars, US$1,500.00-2,000.00: https://alinmachinery.en.made-in-china.com/product/zZHTdphPH...
Chinese EV company tests flexible solar sunroof for 50 miles of additional range per day: https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/hongqi-per...
Solar power on the roof of an EV car seems like an obvious play. And yes some energy can be derived this way. But it's important to understand the limitations of physics.
When the sun is directly overhead we get about 1kw per square metre. Very good panel effeciency is about 25%. ) I'm rounding a bit to make math easier.) The average car footprint is maybe 6 square meters. Obviously a lot of that is curved away from the sun, or is glass. 4 square meters here is perhaps a reasonable starting point.
Which means if we plaster the car with solar cells, we might get 1kw of output in pretty optimal conditions. Perhaps 12 hours of generation depending on latitude, time of year, and so on.
Most EV cars have 30 to 80 kw batteries (some more). So 12kw of charge per day is not nothing, but also not enough. Given pesky things like shade (from tall builings or trees), undercover parking, clouds and so on, daily average is much lower.
Solar film in general is great. But current pricing makes it cheaper to just install regular solar panels in most places. Less portable maybe, but more (financially) efficient to generate/store/charge as we currently do.
On the other hand the aesthetic of a solar panel car roof is very cool, and maybe covers the aircon power requirements on a hot day.
A solar panel would obviously not cover the usagebof a consumer car while it is being driven.
Consumer cars spend most of their time not being driven. If someone commutes 10 miles to work each day, they would nearly never need to charge the car.
Right, but for a fan, it would work. Cars heat up mostly in direct sunlight. The solar panel could be wired directly to a fan. This would also prevent heat death of dogs and forgotten children.
Uni-Solar used to (or maybe still does?: http://www.uni-solar.com/products/commercial-products/pvl/in...) make flexible 3-mm-thick self-adhesive solar film, and if I remember correctly it could be installed on a roof without a permit, although it still required a permit for the electrical connections, so it probably didn't make things easier.
With some states only requiring UL listed inverters for small plug-in systems, it could become a more viable product.
With plug-in solar initiatives around the world, this will be a gamechanger. If there are superlight, plug and play or DIY install products, everyone can produce energy. No surface left behind!
This is vaporware. I've been hearing about this sort of technology for the last 20 years. Hope to be proven wrong someday.
Here's a similar article from 2013, talking about a paper from 2005:
https://www.fastcompany.com/1681384/you-may-soon-just-spray-...
"Some day, homeowners eager to produce their own energy might not line their roofs with solar panels. Instead, they’ll spray-paint them with a mist full of electricity-generating solar cells."
Can I get it installed on my car like a vinyl wrap?
I don't know if it can be DIY, their website says manufacturers can integrate into their workflows.
Transparent? Curious, would installing a reflective backing improve its efficiency?
Looks like they are also working on transparent. In development.
https://solarwindow.com/liquidelectricity/