Rooftop solar panels aren’t exactly rocket science. Toyota, for example, offers a solar charging system for the Prius PHV in Japan, yet it’s a little disappointing because it doesn’t charge the main battery while driving.
As for the best name in the all-electric business, the long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck may be offered with a solar tonneau cover for extended off-the-grid adventures. But with the wedge-shaped Cybertruck delayed to the end of 2022, companies such as EV Solar Kits are much obliged to swoop in.
The Indiegogo landing page for the solar kit in the featured video lists up to 2,000 watts of solar energy. More specifically, the roof-mounted flex panels offer 400 watts, and the stackable flex panels are rated at 200 watts each.
To whom it may concern, the extendable solar array can be stored in the rear trunk of the Model 3. Each kit comes with an inverter and a small battery, one 220-volt outlet, two 110-volt outlets, and two USB slots.
What’s the catch with these solar panels, you may ask? For starters, they do not exist for the time being. “We are excited to bring our vision to life with our range of kits from EVSK,” says EV Solar Kits on Indiegogo. “Our solar charging kits can end range anxiety by providing up to 150 miles of range over two days,” which translates to 75 miles (120 kilometers) per day.
The startup also says that dispersed charging stations may hamper your vacation due to range anxiety, but I’m not sure EV Solar Kits have visited Tesla’s Supercharger landing page as of late. Elon Musk’s company presently operates more than 30,000 Superchargers worldwide, and Tesla promises up to 200 miles (322 kilometers) of charging per 15 minutes.
Even the state of Montana, which is notorious for its vast rural stretches, is alright for EV owners if they stick to major arteries. In other words, the EV Solar Kits solar kit would make sense only when camping.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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