Why aren’t electric vehicles using solar panels integrated into the panoramic rooftops? Wouldn’t this eliminate the need for charging stations – to be able to collect a solar charge at most hours of the day and *during* the actual act of driving?
In: 1963
They don’t deliver nearly the power required. A meter squared of solar panel delivers about 1 kW under peak conditions. Let’s assume you can fit a square meter of solar panels on your car. A chevy bolt with a 66 kWh battery would take 66 hours of peak sunlight. A Tesla Model S takes 100 hours.
Meaning you’re probably losing more energy due to the added weight of the panels than you’d ever get by charging. This is why “why don’t we put solar panels on <x>” pretty much never works unless <x> is something big and static like a building.
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