It seems like even a small solar panel on the roof of an electric car would make a lot of sense. When you’re sitting at work for 8 hours, your car can just soak up some sun. I’m assuming there is some sort of problem related to cost, rather than efficiency, but I can’t figure it out.
Edit: Thanks for the help. It makes a lot of sense now. I appreciate the in-depth answers too.
In: Engineering
My understanding is that the energy gained is insignificant compared to the cost of engineering. This will change as the solar panel technology advances, especially with the clear panels bring developed.
Currently I believe it is similar to trying to save money on your water bill by filling your toilet tank with rain water. Even if you live somewhere that it rains a lot, it won’t be effective 100% of the time and you are going to need some creative installation to automate the process. The cost of water for most homeowners is low enough to not be a concern on this scale of savings.
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