Anyone else thinking about solar charging hybrid?

[LSchicago]

An EV typically gains 1-2 miles of range from rooftop panels. Not enough for the trouble.

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[Kirk]

Repeat after me - "The battery is too small, it is not an EV."

Guess you missed the point

 

[Kirk]

Hybrids need only be refined until we can get EVs to "go the distance". Charging has been and still is a challenge, for now. There's a lot to say about battery technology too and that will change significantly in the next few years. I sure hope the future of charging EVs isn't going to depend on guys like the one who wrote that article in the link you posted. Man, could he be any more pessimistic? He really thinks we can't get the pad and the receiver to align, really? You would think he would know what's going on in the EV charging field around the world and write something a little more optimistic.

America was built on ideas, ingenuity and creative ways to solve most any problem --given the need and time to do so. History has many creative minds thinking outside the box that were told their ideas would never work only to proved them wrong. At an inventors conference in Las Vegas during the CES show almost 20 years ago I saw the first PC wireless mouse on an induction charging pad. It didn't take long for that technology to be implemented in the Cell Phone market - - unfortunately it was slow to get accepted by consumers. So now here we are today and you have the option to get induction charging incorporated in the center console of the new Maverick!

As far as induction charging "Electric Vehicles" . . . . IT WILL HAPPEN and probably sooner than the time it took technology to get from that PC mouse to charging your phone in your Maverick. There are several companies developing technology to charge your EV while you are driving down the road! - Crazy, just research "Magment GMBH" (I have been following them for several years).

Thank you! The nay sayers
are not worth thier opinion

 

[Axlesup]

I was thinking of building a solar bed cover instead of spending a grand on a tri folding cover. it would be to charge the 12v battery not the hybrid pack since that is pretty much impossible. it would be about 400 watts of potential 12v power. not sure if it would make any difference in mpg but it would take the 12v load off the hybrid pack and keep the 12v battery full when parked even for long periods. Maybe prevent the deep sleep problems and no start i keep seeing on the forum?

anyway it would likely cost ~$500 to do it.

likely use 4 of these panels:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D7BMBW...colid=2SKDDY42AWJDW&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

mount it like the tonneau covers that sit on top of the rails.

 

[JoeTime]

I was thinking of building a solar bed cover instead of spending a grand on a tri folding cover. it would be to charge the 12v battery not the hybrid pack since that is pretty much impossible. it would be about 400 watts of potential 12v power. not sure if it would make any difference in mpg but it would take the 12v load off the hybrid pack and keep the 12v battery full when parked even for long periods. Maybe prevent the deep sleep problems and no start i keep seeing on the forum?

anyway it would likely cost ~$500 to do it.

likely use 4 of these panels:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D7BMBW...colid=2SKDDY42AWJDW&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

mount it like the tonneau covers that sit on top of the rails.

Why would you want to do an extra charge on the 12v battery? The 12v battery is charged while you drive it, like a standard vehicle.

 

[Aherpa]

I specifically want the hybrid so I don't tinker with having an Ecoboost. But I can't stop thinking about a solar panel on the roof of the cab or a solar panel tonneau cover. I know it probably wouldn't be much but how many miles per day could you get and how much of a boost to fuel economy do you think?

Solar charging only makes sense for a parked PHEV, not a hybrid. Even then the panels would probably only be useful when the vehicle is parked in full sun and at an advantageous angle. Even then, I think it would only charge the 12V battery, unless you figured out a way to safely tap into the HV battery's charging system.

My two cents, maybe it's wrong.

 

[Timothyd]

I specifically want the hybrid so I don't tinker with having an Ecoboost. But I can't stop thinking about a solar panel on the roof of the cab or a solar panel tonneau cover. I know it probably wouldn't be much but how many miles per day could you get and how much of a boost to fuel economy do you think?

Maybe 20' on a good day? I know, it pays to consider everything. The battery in the Mav isn't a big one anyhow, You might only get a few miles if it's fully charged? The work and cost required to make it useful would be large.

 

[Axlesup]

Why would you want to do an extra charge on the 12v battery? The 12v battery is charged while you drive it, like a standard vehicle.

by installing a solar panel as an alternate source of power for the 12v battery i am accomplishing several things:

less load on the factory inverter. maybe zero load.
no worries about the truck not starting due to low 12v power
possible increase in fuel economy
Redundancy
Redundancy
Redundancy
or the truck catches on fire and we roast some marshmallows and hot dogs

on a side note:
the solar panel on the top of my tahoe made power on a clear night just from the light of the moon. it actually made the most power in indirect sunlight because in direct sunlight the heat caused massive efficiency loss. i learned a lot building and using the solar power on the tahoe.
My Tahoe solar build:
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/2010-tahoe-build-now-with-solar.214223/

 

[GPSMan]

Ok, the "idea" of grid charging or solar charging a HEV like Maverick is starting to look less and less crazy.

As is, unmodified, I can go 3.3 miles in pure EV mode keeping it under 35 mph.
Plenty for a lunch run from work.
Plenty for most to pick up the kids at the neighborhood school.

I just went 2 1/4 miles on a less than full battery. Hmm.... if cheap enough, didn't mess up the "computers" and had reasonable installation procedure, not such a crazy idea for city dwellers. May decrease MY gas use per month by 25% just with the stock battery.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

by installing a solar panel as an alternate source of power for the 12v battery i am accomplishing several things:

less load on the factory inverter. maybe zero load.
no worries about the truck not starting due to low 12v power
possible increase in fuel economy
Redundancy
Redundancy
Redundancy
or the truck catches on fire and we roast some marshmallows and hot dogs

on a side note:
the solar panel on the top of my tahoe made power on a clear night just from the light of the moon. it actually made the most power in indirect sunlight because in direct sunlight the heat caused massive efficiency loss. i learned a lot building and using the solar power on the tahoe.
My Tahoe solar build:
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/2010-tahoe-build-now-with-solar.214223/

The only way the truck won't start due to low 12v power is if the battery itself is bad. The BMS will stop any power source assuming you didn't wire in something around the 12v battery cables from taking the battery down too low. In the case of a bad battery keeping a charged remote starter is the better option.

 

[Eagle11]

And employee parking areas. Future will tell but a carport area with a solar roof and induction pad in Florida, Arizona and other areas on this planet will make a great deal of sense. Getting an 8 - 10 hour charge for free would be a great recruiting tactic too.

The Political climate in those two states would ever agree to solar, here in AZ, our Republican legislators have done everything to discourage solar, I'm sure FL isn't that far off.

 

[Eagle11]

Guess you missed the point

NO, he understands the point....

 

[garryjohnson]

And now, here it is:
https://aptera.us/vehicle/

 

[Traegorn]

And now, here it is:
https://aptera.us/vehicle/

I hope they survive financially, because I really like what they're building.

 

[Automate]

Ok, the "idea" of grid charging or solar charging a HEV like Maverick is starting to look less and less crazy.

As is, unmodified, I can go 3.3 miles in pure EV mode keeping it under 35 mph.
Plenty for a lunch run from work.
Plenty for most to pick up the kids at the neighborhood school.

I just went 2 1/4 miles on a less than full battery. Hmm.... if cheap enough, didn't mess up the "computers" and had reasonable installation procedure, not such a crazy idea for city dwellers. May decrease MY gas use per month by 25% just with the stock battery.

Or for those that park in a garage, a plug-in high voltage battery charger.

Every time you leave the house, you would have a full HV battery.

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