My DIY Insulated Geometric Cybertruck Camper Shell. Seeking Honest Feedback & Suggestions Wanted!

[Eka]

Hey Eka,
A stainless bed cap sounds awesome. If it’s that strong then the solar panel addition becomes a nice option. I’d love to see what you come up with. Would you make the bed cap for sleeping too? If so, the insulation inside is going to be a big factor.
I’d love to see a concept drawing and definitely the finished product when you’re done. Even some “in process” pics would be cool to see!

Yes, I've thought of making it able to sleep two. There is a 400-450 Watt solar panel size commonly used in residential installs that I've thought of using. 3600 to 4100 Watts if the sun in located perpendicular to the panels, and you know you never see that much. The area under three of them would be a nice huge bed area, hence my naming it the Palace design. These renders show 9 of them in three drawer layers. No drawer structure around them. Width with drawer structure is no wider than the CT, but it does overhand the back some, but not more than the tailgate being down. The stick frame under is roughly similar in size to the Urander top, but 75 to 100 mm lower. It is just for seeing lines, etc. I made an educated guess for the vertical spacing for the drawers from a design I did years ago. I'm also considering pulling the glass panels out of their frames and supplying my own frames to back things thinner. The mattress needs to be removed to keep the top thickness as thin as possible.

It gets big when spread out and tilted. A tent would only be below the part over the CT. The rest would be an awning.

This is only 6 of the same size solar panels. It only has a top drawer that can extend out over the windshield and hood. Also it uses a scissors hinge to lift as it tilts.

Working on adding framework and mechanisms for the forward moving drawer design.

Got distracted by a 200W panel for Sleek and Super Sleek designs that only has 4 solar panels. In the first image you see the Starlink panel doesn't fit. In the super sleek I can put it to the side at the back by sliding over the rear most panel. Super Sleek design has a bed floor that lifts up to horizontal, then rests on some legs.

I've been playing with some flexible panels and alternate drawer designs. The thing with most flexible panels is one needs to have the junction box on the back like most glass panels have. If it is on the top there is no height savings using them. One might as well remove glass panels from their frames and get higher toughness.

I've been working more on the Super Sleek and Palace designs, but don't have new screen shots. I'm mostly trying to come up with easy to make structures I can weld and bolt together. I can weld stainless steel, but not aluminum. I was originally thinking of making it with mostly aluminum extrusions. I can get suitably sized stainless steel shapes and sheet in a close by city. They will even laser cut and fold, spindle, and mutilate sheet for me.

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[TheLastStarfighter]

That's awesome. Is it easily removable? I've been looking for an option that can be quickly put on and off, as I'd only use it camping a few times a year, or if I needed a bit extra space for a cargo haul. To me the the ideal unit is light, basic and affordable. There are nice ones on the market but heavy and expensive.

One feature I'd consider for mass sales would be the ability to extend it beyond the boundary of the 6' bed. That length is enough for me and the wife, but a lot of potential buyers might be a bit taller.

 

[Eka]

That's awesome. Is it easily removable? I've been looking for an option that can be quickly put on and off, as I'd only use it camping a few times a year, or if I needed a bit extra space for a cargo haul. To me the the ideal unit is light, basic and affordable. There are nice ones on the market but heavy and expensive.

One feature I'd consider for mass sales would be the ability to extend it beyond the boundary of the 6' bed. That length is enough for me and the wife, but a lot of potential buyers might be a bit taller.

My plan is so far to be bolted down to the CT's 8 attachment points with a 5mm thick closed cell foam gasket. I'm not sure what I'll do for attachment for the tailgate area yet. Nor do I know what I'll do over the roof window. I might 3D print some fill blocks to handle the area on both sides of the roof window. I would totally remove the trim piece.

I don't think I would offer this for sale. Just make the plans and construction methods available for others to follow.

I move along my body length as I sleep and wake up if my head or feet contact something or become unsupported. So I like a long bed. I guess I slept in sailboat bunks too much.

 

[R.R.MONTY]

I guess my thought it why not just buy this and call it a day https://spacecampers.com/

 

[Eka]

I guess my thought it why not just buy this and call it a day https://spacecampers.com/

Some of us are designers and builders. We like to create things.

One of my main uses is so I can go deep into the wilderness for a week or more at a time. No EV has enough range, let alone range plus power to run electric appliances. I figure I can use a few kW battery and around 3 kW of solar panels to recharge enough on average per day.* Because of my ME/CFS I have to make the system as easy to setup as reasonable. This is why I'm looking at solar awning drawers.

I think I could alter an OpenEVSE so it can monitor the charge in a battery bank. When it gets high enough, then have it turn on the inverter, and tells the vehicle to start charging. It then alters the charge rate to drop the battery charge down to 30% and then keep it close to there as it modifies the charge rate to follow the solar panel generation rate. When the solar charge rate drops too low it tells the vehicle to stop charging, and turns off the inverter. Solar is then only charging the battery bank. In the early morning and late evening, the system may cycle on and off to dump stored charge into the EV. The beauty of this system is it works for any SAE J1772 compatible EV.

If I can't modify the OpenEVSE, I could easily use a Raspberry Pi to do the monitoring and control.

Considering how large my CPAP battery bank is, I could fit the battery bank, inverter, and OpenEVSE under the front seats of the CT.

* Note: Every EV has a base recharging rate that it is not worth charging slower than. When recharging one needs to charge a significant amount faster than that to be effective.

 

[Zipyzag]

Great content! Super sick ideas. Thanks a lot OP!
Btw, love your center caps on the wheels, could you please share a link?

 

[bswiftho]

Does anyone knows a pro (or company) who could help turn this into a repeatable, pro-finished product? Please, hit me up!

 

[Robb]

Getting a RVIA sticker on a design might be expensive and require serious developmental costs (RV Industry Association). Something to consider.

Any thoughts on a lift (similar to the Alaskan Camper models) that would raise the roof higher ?. It allows the sleek design to remain relatively aerodynamic but once stopped the roof of the camper section rises up, obviously giving more space and especially headroom.

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