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
First, some do. Fisker has announced an SUV that has a solar panel on the roof that they claim will get you 1,000 miles of travel over the course of a year.
The reasons that most don’t come down to cost, complexity and marketing decisions. Having that solar panel on the roof adds costs to the car that might not ever be paid back over the lifespan of the vehicle. It also adds complexity to the charging mechanism which introduces more chances for failure. Finally, people like to buy cars with sunroofs and all glass tops.
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