Vault Mounted solar panel system

[Crissa]

so check my math for me.. but that is a whole 4 miles a day... maybe up to 5 on ideal conditions IF you only park in sunshine??

that seems like a questionable add at best.

In all honesty the energy production per square foot of solar panel right now is simply to low to be of benefit on antyhing short of an RV or a Semi with a trailer.

...But the status quo is losing up to several miles of range every day just sitting there and talking to the network for updates, conditioning the battery, and running sentry mode...

-Crissa

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[HaulingAss]

Okay, I'm aware there wouldn't be any tracking, trucks could block my sun, etc... But, I DO travel frequently for several days at a time. My truck parked at the airport outside would at least not be dead when I got back. In fact, I SHOULD be able to arrive at the airport "on fumes" and by the time I got back, my truck could be charged up enough for the ride home. THAT would be nice.

Necessary? No. Practical? No. But, nice. Sort of like 2.9 seconds to 60 mph...

Why would you be arriving at the airport "on fumes"? Did I miss the announcement of the 100-mile range Cybertruck?

And how long are you parked at the airport for? I've flown several trips of over two weeks, leaving one of our Model 3's at the airport the entire time and barely lost any range. I've got nothing against solar but, having lived with two Model 3's for five years, I think people are over-thinking the benefits of having a small solar array for normal day-to-day use. It would really only be important on your primary vehicle for edge cases like boon-docking for more than a weekend or not having charging at home or work and parking on the street for more than a month.

Maybe super-low mileage drivers could brag their vehicle runs 100% on solar. It's not a big benefit, you are saving a few cents per day. Might as well just have solar on your home if it gets sun. The battery in the Cybertruck will be bigger than those in our Model 3's and their energy storage capacity already dwarfs the energy produced by small solar panels.

That's not to say I wouldn't get a solar option oon my Cybertruck, depending on the specific offering, but I certainly wouldn't spend money that I could use elsewhere. It would mostly be a frivolous purchase.

 

[Crissa]

Well, whenever I'm parked at the airport, it's because I've been super-annoyingly-busy and perhaps didn't have time to charge again before getting there. I never do leave my car with a full tank there.

I think you're under-thinking the benefits of offsetting passive losses so that you never have to worry about your truck having less power when you get back to it.

-Crissa

 

[firsttruck]

.....
I've flown several trips of over two weeks, leaving one of our Model 3's at the airport the entire time and barely lost any range
.....

Did you leave Sentry Mode on for the over two weeks you left the Model 3 parked?

 

[restyle]

...... im curious as for your Fisker, how does this additional 400mi of charging/year factor into the real world effects?

Because even in California sun, let’s say that figure doubles to 800mi / year, or 2.2mi per day

is that a difference maker for you in any particular, discrete, use case?

As I said, the 1st edition cars (Hyundai Ioniq 5, NOT Fisker) all came to Europe fully loaded with every option fitted including the Solar Panel, so it's not like there was a choice to have a panoramic roof instead.
Your right in thinking the extra (free) 400 miles it gives me over the year is negligible, and I guess 1200 Californian miles is also a pretty small bonus when you consider that the panels would cost around $1200 extra.

So, although they're a good talking point, it's not something I would pay a lot for - especially in the UK.

On the other hand, I can see it would be great coming back from holiday to a fully charged car at the airport.

 

[firsttruck]

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Battery drain model Y 2022 LR - sentry mode drain of ~20 miles per day
Feb 2, 2022
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/battery-drain-model-y-2022-lr.256099/

.....
jjrandorin
Tesla Energy Forums Moderator
Feb 2, 2022 #2
> I-drive-my said: I do have sentry mode on and see a drain of ~20 miles per day

Absolutely 100% normal. Sentry mode will prevent the car from sleeping, and will use around 20 miles a day by itself. The very people who WANT to use sentry mode all the time (those without home charging and a garage) are those who should not use it due to battery drain.

jcanoe
Feb 2, 2022 #3
> I-drive-my said: I do have sentry mode on and see a drain of ~20 miles per day

This is normal.


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[NJturtlePower]

so check my math for me.. but that is a whole 4 miles a day... maybe up to 5 on ideal conditions IF you only park in sunshine??

that seems like a questionable add at best.

In all honesty the energy production per square foot of solar panel right now is simply to low to be of benefit on anything short of an RV or a Semi with a trailer.

Sounds about right....

This is why Musk has said many times it's really not worth the effort (vehicle mounted solar) with so little available space and at the efficiencies currently available.

The Fisker roof is pretty interesting in that they are double sided cells so even some light refection from the interior especially with the lighter color interior is captured however limited that is.

Downside is you will often have strange and possibly annoying shadow pattern cast into the passenger space so now they'll be offering a shade or extra tint to combat this.

It's standard and only available on the Ocean One and Extreme otherwise I would likely opt out.

 

[SolarWizard]

I’m happy to experiment with some stuff for people that are gonna be remote camping but here is the bottom line:


it’s a very very reasonable to assume that the truck is going to weigh more and be less efficient than the model X

the sentry mode phantom draw stuff could get covered or reduced by the second panel being solar, but if the truck is as tough as everyone says, do you really need sentry mode?
If FSD is as good as Elon says it is, why is the truck going to sit that long in a strange place to begin with?

 

[firsttruck]

....
, but if the truck is as tough as everyone says, do you really need sentry mode?

The truck might be ...resistant but is not ...proof.

Banks have a huge thick safe with heavy-duty doors & locks so why do banks pay for cameras and security guards at night?

....
why is the truck going to sit that long in a strange place to begin with?

Sigh

 

[Crissa]

This is why Musk has said many times it's really not worth the effort (vehicle mounted solar) with so little available space and at the efficiencies currently available.

He compared it to static roof mounted panels.

But I can't put static roof mounted panels where I park.

The truck won't be plugged into the grid when it's off on adventures.

And that sun will be beating down on it no matter what I do.

Might as well have panels on it.

-Crissa

 

[Greshnab]

He compared it to static roof mounted panels.

But I can't put static roof mounted panels where I park.

The truck won't be plugged into the grid when it's off on adventures.

And that sun will be beating down on it no matter what I do.

Might as well have panels on it.

-Crissa

but wouldn't it be more efficient and easier to just buy a camping solar array that has a 120 v outlet and use a mobility charger to plug your tesla in... that way the panels aren't restricted to where you can park the truck?

 

[Crissa]

but wouldn't it be more efficient and easier to just buy a camping solar array that has a 120 v outlet and use a mobility charger to plug your tesla in... that way the panels aren't restricted to where you can park the truck?

No, no it wouldn't be.

• You need to set up and tear down the camping array.
• You need to transfer from dc to ac and back to dc to store the power in the truck.
  • Which needs an inverter
  • Which means you also need another battery.
• You can't use the solar while driving
  • ...because it'll be stowed
  • ...and you can't AC charge your vehicle in motion anyway
• All this requires more structure, which you also have to carry.

-Crissa

 

[swengl]

No, no it wouldn't be.

• You need to set up and tear down the camping array.
• You need to transfer from dc to ac and back to dc to store the power in the truck.
  • Which needs an inverter
  • Which means you also need another battery.
• You can't store solar while driving
  • ...because it'll be stowed
  • ...and you can't AC charge your vehicle in motion anyway
• All this requires more structure, which you also have to carry.

-Crissa

It definitely would add weight and setup time, and it would definitely not be as easy as parking and (maybe) making sure the tonneau is closed. There is loss with the DC/AC/DC conversion, as well.

 

[Rutrow]

If the truck stayed awake all day with the computer calculating the perfect azimuth for Smart Summon to back the truck in big circle to keep the solar tonneau pointed at the sun...

By my calculations, you could generate enough power in a day to....

Uh... drive the truck in a big circle.

 

[SolarWizard]

the amount of projected expertise on this forum astounds me

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