Solar Panel Roof

[InnerMogul]

A full glass window is great, but when the sun is over head, you will want a different option to close/tint the glass quickly (Lexus GX 550 "Dynamic Sky"). If a sliding shade or electronic tint feature is not an option, perhaps sealing the roof completely can be an option and offering an active solar panel for the exterior roof top to add charging capabilities.

 

[pwrofgrayskull]

Wasn’t clarified. Assuming typical structure-solid roof base with other two as upgrades

It would be nice if you could choose your roof option independently. Meaning I hope things don’t get bundled in a bunch of packages or that certain roofs are only available on some trims. Packages can be one of the most annoying things in the automotive industry from the customer/user standpoint. In general, a customer typically ends up spending extra money on options they don’t want and/or will never use…OR they simply get priced out of the vehicle and have to find a different vehicle because they can’t afford the trim or package combination that gives them the features they want or need.

I know this has been mentioned before, but I just wanted to reiterate. It might be tough to make it happen on the assembly line depending how they set things up, but I cannot imagine how much happier everyone would be if you could order the exact combination of options to build your personal ultimate Scout. Within reason of course, there would likely be a line drawn somewhere for various business reasons or otherwise.

It seems possible in theory with Scout Motors’ clean sheet and no dealership model, so I thought I’d throw it out there.

 

[Scoutsie]

A full glass window is great, but when the sun is over head, you will want a different option to close/tint the glass quickly (Lexus GX 550 "Dynamic Sky"). If a sliding shade or electronic tint feature is not an option, perhaps sealing the roof completely can be an option and offering an active solar panel for the exterior roof top to add charging capabilities.

Car rooftop solar panels don’t collect a ton of energy the way that a home’s rooftop solar array does. My Prius has a rooftop solar panel and it does one thing: powers a fan in the summer that prevents the car from getting stifling hot. That sort of device doesn’t need much electricity. It’s a neat feature, but most of the time it’s unhelpful. To get the energy needed to charge the car battery, you’d need to always be getting unobstructed sunlight and definitely need more than 1 array on the car.

FWIW, you could totally pull this off at home w/a solar array on your home’s roof, provided it’s hit with direct sunlight and no trees in the way.

 

[lansdowner]

Having full glass can be awesome for the view, but I totally get the need for a quick way to block out the sun. I had a similar issue with my car when I was considering adding a solar panel to the roof for charging. I ended up reaching out to https://solarsmart.ie/solar-panels-dublin/ for advice on solar panels for vehicles, and they suggested a thin, flexible solar panel for the roof, which would help with charging while also providing some shade. They helped me figure out a setup that wouldn’t block too much light but would still offer enough power for small electronics.

 

[MountainDad]

Having full glass can be awesome for the view, but I totally get the need for a quick way to block out the sun. I had a similar issue with my car when I was considering adding a solar panel to the roof for charging.

A full glass roof absolutely needs a sunshade. My Polestar has a full glass roof, but the glass is treated to reject IR and all spectra of UV. It still gets hot inside, but no hotter than a regular car with a regular roof. Still, I would prefer a fully retractable sunshade. My wife's Volvo XC60 has one for its full glass roof, and there's a setting to automatically close it if the car heats up too much inside.

My Land Rover has IR rejecting windshield glass. With a sunshade, and the two roof panel sunshades closed, it stays quite cool even with a black on black interior.

 

[nate.r]

If a Solar Roof isn't feasible, then I second the Solar Tonneau Cover or, even better, a Solar Camper Shell. This shell could also be upgraded with some form of fold out/roll out awning for shade as someone else already suggested. I would generally use this truck as a commuter to work and for camping trips. My work has no parking structure, so both environments would be ideal for this capability and as long as it recovered the 12-20 miles that I drive in a day during the 8 hours I work in the sun, it would pay for itself eventually.

 

[cyure]

If a Solar Roof isn't feasible, then I second the Solar Tonneau Cover or, even better, a Solar Camper Shell. This shell could also be upgraded with some form of fold out/roll out awning for shade as someone else already suggested. I would generally use this truck as a commuter to work and for camping trips. My work has no parking structure, so both environments would be ideal for this capability and as long as it recovered the 12-20 miles that I drive in a day during the 8 hours I work in the sun, it would pay for itself eventually.

Welcome to the community.

 

[Chavannigans]

If a Solar Roof isn't feasible, then I second the Solar Tonneau Cover or, even better, a Solar Camper Shell. This shell could also be upgraded with some form of fold out/roll out awning for shade as someone else already suggested. I would generally use this truck as a commuter to work and for camping trips. My work has no parking structure, so both environments would be ideal for this capability and as long as it recovered the 12-20 miles that I drive in a day during the 8 hours I work in the sun, it would pay for itself eventually.

I have one of these preordered/reserved so I can install one on a Scout.

DartSolar

www.dartsolar.com

 

[MountainDad]

Any kind of solar roof for an EV simply isn't feasible because of the amount of real estate available and the size of a vehicle battery.

I have 17 solar panels on my roof at home - each one is about 3x5 feet. These are the best, most current ones available on the market that were made in the US (less than a year old). In full Colorado high altitude sun, at most in one day, I generate about 40kWh of power. The battery in an EV can be nearly twice this size. You're simply not going to get the kind of charge you think you will with *one* 3x5 foot solar panel on top of your roof, or from some kind of fold-out solution with even 50 square feet of panels.

You will pay a lot of money for it, and be very disappointed in the result, as well as the extra weight you'll carry around, which will not be offset by the little extra trickle charge you would get from such an arrangement.

 

[MountainDad]

I have one of these preordered/reserved so I can install one on a Scout.

DartSolar

www.dartsolar.com

View attachment 7213

Take these claims with a HUGE grain of salt. Practically speaking, assume you'll average perhaps half that on any day that isn't perfect Rocky Mountain September bluebird from dawn to dusk.

 

[Chavannigans]

Any kind of solar roof for an EV simply isn't feasible because of the amount of real estate available and the size of a vehicle battery.

I have 17 solar panels on my roof at home - each one is about 3x5 feet. These are the best, most current ones available on the market that were made in the US (less than a year old). In full Colorado high altitude sun, at most in one day, I generate about 40kWh of power. The battery in an EV can be nearly twice this size. You're simply not going to get the kind of charge you think you will with *one* 3x5 foot solar panel on top of your roof, or from some kind of fold-out solution with even 50 square feet of panels.

You will pay a lot of money for it, and be very disappointed in the result, as well as the extra weight you'll carry around, which will not be offset by the little extra trickle charge you would get from such an arrangement.

@SpaceEVDriver has shared how they recharge their EV with portable solar gear on extended camping trips.

I think your expectations may be different than other peoples.

If I can add 50 miles of range with the setup above and a solar generator on a 4 day camping trip that would be great in my book.

I am definitely not expecting the Dart system to charge the entire car in a day.

 

[Chavannigans]

Take these claims with a HUGE grain of salt. Practically speaking, assume you'll average perhaps half that on any day that isn't perfect Rocky Mountain September bluebird from dawn to dusk.

 

[dreamweaver]

If a Solar Roof isn't feasible, then I second the Solar Tonneau Cover or, even better, a Solar Camper Shell. This shell could also be upgraded with some form of fold out/roll out awning for shade as someone else already suggested. I would generally use this truck as a commuter to work and for camping trips. My work has no parking structure, so both environments would be ideal for this capability and as long as it recovered the 12-20 miles that I drive in a day during the 8 hours I work in the sun, it would pay for itself eventually.

Scout. “People. Connections. Community. Authenticity." Welcome to the Scout community. Enjoy the ride.

 

[J Alynn]

If a Solar Roof isn't feasible, then I second the Solar Tonneau Cover or, even better, a Solar Camper Shell. This shell could also be upgraded with some form of fold out/roll out awning for shade as someone else already suggested. I would generally use this truck as a commuter to work and for camping trips. My work has no parking structure, so both environments would be ideal for this capability and as long as it recovered the 12-20 miles that I drive in a day during the 8 hours I work in the sun, it would pay for itself eventually.

Welcome aboard the forum. Enjoy the ride

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

@SpaceEVDriver has shared how they recharge their EV with portable solar gear on extended camping trips.

I think your expectations may be different than other peoples.

If I can add 50 miles of range with the setup above and a solar generator on a 4 day camping trip that would be great in my book.

I am definitely not expecting the Dart system to charge the entire car in a day.

One of the things that I find sad is the insistence on perfection.

For mobile/portable solar to provide a benefit, there are some extras that are necessary (an auxiliary battery or some other way to bank or boost the input to provide the right V*A to charge the HVB). But it’s not impossible to gain a benefit from 400-1200 watts of panels. We’re going camping in a couple of weeks and I’ll try to remember to get some photos of the system I’ve MacGyvered together. I’m a hacker, not a product designer, so I might be embarrassed to show my system.

 

[MountainDad]

I'd rather have the Harvester and not have to deal with laying out panels, or getting stuck because it rained for two days straight and the solar panels were useless dead weight. I'd rather save that space for beer and steaks.

 

[dreamweaver]

A full glass window is great, but when the sun is over head, you will want a different option to close/tint the glass quickly (Lexus GX 550 "Dynamic Sky"). If a sliding shade or electronic tint feature is not an option, perhaps sealing the roof completely can be an option and offering an active solar panel for the exterior roof top to add charging capabilities.

With my tinted Panoramic Vista roof I never get baked by the sun, and i have never had a reason to close the shade. Sun is Florida's middle name.

 

[MountainDad]

With my tinted Panoramic Vista roof I never get baked by the sun, and i have never had a reason to close the shade. Sun is Florida's middle name.

Likewise with my Polestar 2 with black interior. There is no shade to close, but the UV and IR rejecting glass roof is quite effective.

 

[R1TVT]

A little 3rd-party "portable solar" might be nice for charging your accessories (and not needing draw power away from your truck battery to maintain SOC), but not so nice for charging a massive truck battery directly.

I would reserve that task for an array of panels on the roof of my house...

 

[Chavannigans]

I'd rather have the Harvester and not have to deal with laying out panels, or getting stuck because it rained for two days straight and the solar panels were useless dead weight. I'd rather save that space for beer and steaks.

Heck I was thinking of having both the Harvester as well as the solar array. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

 

[MountainDad]

A little 3rd-party "portable solar" might be nice for charging your accessories (and not needing draw power away from your truck battery to maintain SOC), but not so nice for charging a massive truck battery directly.

I would reserve that task for an array of panels on the roof of my house...

Even with my array of panels, which is enough to basically make electricity for my 3500 sqft house free, it would take more than 2 days to charge my 75kWh Polestar battery using the sun alone, with all power dedicated directly to vehicle charging. Solar panels just aren't that efficient yet - or rather, even BEVs are incredibly *inefficient* compared to all the lights and TVs and washing machines and clothes dryers and refrigerators and freezers and HVAC and so on that you have in your house.