200 Watt Flexible Solar Panel 1 Year Review - Learn From My Mistakes!

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

A few Amazon links to items shown in today's video: 200 Watt Flexible Solar Panel amzn.to/3KgzBMn 150lb Female Thread, Heavy Duty Magnets amzn.to/3xcizH8 EternaBond RV Repair Tape amzn.to/49Y1FxB

[@rogerm3708]

Testing the limits of off grid living and traveling in the smallest space possible, is why I keep watching

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank You, Imagine what I could do in a Honda Odyssey! I may pull the trigger and buy one, if they release it in a Hybrid.

[@Levy3o8]

I found this video so fascinating because i feel like this is exactly how my projects go lol

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank you. Live & learn, and teach others from your mistakes.

[@mozmbkn6544]

I used 15ft of the heavy duty 3m tape (5952 VHB) for my build. It was on a transit connect, so the aerodynamics were different, but i never had an issue (even doing 90mph in parts of texas). I didnt even really prep the roof before installing, just wiped it down with a damp towel. The transit roof did have channels running the length of it, so i taped the pannel directly to the roof and just parked downhill every couple of days to drain the water 😂 Loving the channel and really looking forward to learning what i can do with my fit.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank You! That's the 3M tape that I purchased. What size panel did you use? I think the size of the panel may play a part in how well the VHB or other mounting solutions may work.

[@dragonspaw.blogspot4461]

Thanks a million for sharing your experience, and do keep us posted!

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Can do! 👍

[@dragonspaw.blogspot4461]

TY! One wonders if the heat from a hairdryer or heat gun would have tamed the wrinkles in that tape that looks perfect for this application. (Perhaps stretch it a bit.

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

oh boy, you already kno this is going to be a banger!!! #HONDAFIT4ADVENTURE GANG

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Yo, I'm riding the Motocompacto to Wisconsin via the bike path! Talk about an adventure.

[@Ulbre]

80 mph :) Back when my Jazz was new in 2006 she's do that easy. The wife, the two little ones and sometimes both in-laws all packed in....yet she would still be accelerating up and over the mountains here in northern Thailand :) Sadly just a get from here to there ride nowadays....not as fast or nippy but she still gets there :) Love those magnets!

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

How many miles are on your 2006 Honda Jazz? I ran into the same issue on my Honda Ruckus. It was up to 38km and would no longer go past 56kmh. It used to go up to 83kmh. Thank you, I tried using the magnets from the start, but only using the 6 original mounting holes. I never thought to add more around the edges. Next time I'll scoot the magnets further in if possible. That way they won't be bulging out from the sides of the panel.

[@Ulbre]

@@HondaFit4Adventure my 2006 Honda Fit/Jazz is 270K km which is like 165K miles

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Oh wow, that's not bad at all. Are you still able to find parts for it? It sounds like that's everyone's biggest issue here in the U.S. They no longer make replacement parts for the first gen Fit, and it's such a good car that you cant really find them in the junk yard.@@Ulbre

[@Ulbre]

​@@HondaFit4Adventure PArts no problem here in Thailand. Spare parts manufacture is a huge industry here. Cheap too. Last year, replaced the radiator with a brand new one for around 100 dollars, including labour :)

[@Camperjazz]

I too live in a Honda, a jazz as the fit is called in UK, 20 yearly old and full time in the cold

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Awesome! -25.9C was my coldest night so far! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaeyYoNvhrejo6ssi=rv310XxB2aZebi0i Stay warm my friend!

[@Penny-mk7fv]

That’s awesome magnets ultimately worked

[@aaronweiser5421]

So far.....

[@PerfectDuck]

Actually seeing technique used and highway results is amazingly invaluable. Do you think the heat buildup was ever an issue?

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank you. I don't think the Solar Panel itself generated enough heat to cause any issues. I placed the the "Battery Temperature Sensor" from the charge controller, underneath the solar panel before securing it down. This way I would be able to see how hot underneath the panel was getting. I think the sun in general softened up the adhesive. That combined with travelling at a high rate of speed caused the panel to become loose and blow off. The roofing tape, although strong, was made to seal/waterproof a stationary object. It wouldn't typically see 80mph winds unless there was a tornado. Even then, the tape would just be experiencing high winds and no heat.

[@linus11vf1j]

I think there might need to be some underside cooling on the solar panel. Your 2nd install seems to indicate extreme heat that is melting the bonding tape.

[@FloridaBikeVlogger]

the solar ads are crazy on this video

[@ettcha]

Haha! I'm too poor to get ads!🥲

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Lol, which brand?!

[@BossManaatti]

What an interesting video and set up you have! Love to see stuff like this :) sad to see that your solarpanel got damaged from that one "flight" :/

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank you. Its ok, I'll take the damage to the Solar Panel over causing damage to someone else's car.

[@BossManaatti]

@@HondaFit4Adventure For sure :D

[@Manversusvan]

Haha 5:50mins in is the definition of belt and braces. I had the same issue with a flexi panel on my Volvo V70. I used 20mm aluminium profile to finally build it a frame and added bolts for the eyelets and the bloody thing got ripped off the eyelets on the motorway 🤣😂😂

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Lol, I had to google what "Belt & Braces" meant. What size panel were you trying to attach? I tried to copy another KZbin video that used Aluminum Z transition strips, but I couldn't the transition strips anywhere. It seems like everyone has had different success & failures with mounting a solar panel to their vehicle.

[@Manversusvan]

I installed 2 large 120w Ecoworthy Flexi panels 1.5ft by 4ft? I think?

[@rexwine]

I'm wondering if you could incorporate a reverse airfoil. KInda like formula 1...more speed actually creates downward pressure, at 80mph it would actually be more secure.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

That's an interesting idea. I did find an extra wide sunroof air deflector that I might try out. #GodSpeed

[@vevenaneathna]

bout to do something similar to my chevy volt with 2x 100w panels. I was going to use a bunch of silicone and upgade the 12v battery to a large lifepo4 4cell prismatic guy with no BMS. since the volt is probably the only car that starts its gas motor with a high voltage battery, the 12v system doesnt really have to do much. i calculate getting rid of the 12v parasitic load on my high voltage battery will get me from currently 40 miles all electric range to around 50 miles. i was going to put a bunch of copper foil tape down underneith the solar panels to act as heat sinks to spread the heat out a little bit better since i think heat eventually is the death of these panels.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

I'm thinking the 100watt panels will be easier to secure down. If you have any Hybrid questions, get a hold of @GonzoPrius on KZbin or IG. He should be able to help you out with any Hybrid related questions and he's a super cool dude! I know my panel set up is completely sealed around the edges, but I do have air pockets underneath the panel. I also ran a temp sensor up through the antenna hole along side of the solar cables so I can monitor how hot it gets under the panel. Copper/Foil Tape sounds like a good idea. I'll have to look into that for next time.

[@vevenaneathna]

@@HondaFit4Adventure mini update. started to take apart the headliner in my volt, have been reading the very long and detailed manual someone posted on the gm forums about how the volt (and bolt i believe) handles charging the low voltage battery. some issues ive found is that apparently the car will randomly try to charge the 12v battery at ~100 amps during the desulfination phase of charging the battery, which is a little bit disconcerting. the solar pannels should keep the voltage mostly above the low voltage trigger to charge the 12v battery most of the time; however before i spend ~380$ on 4x 280ah lifepo4 eve cells i am going to try to build a mini 4s2p battery with what looks like to me to be 28700 lifepo4 cells and just see how the car handles it. on the final battery i will include a temperature regulation circuit + thermocoulple which will turn on a 40watt silicone heating pad to keep the battery above 0C since that is the rrange where damage can occur to lifepo4 chemistry when charging (not discharching though). waiting on some brass car battery terminals to come in from china so i can just keep everything plug n play if it doesnt work out. upgraded the headlights to color changing LED's which only draw about 30watts each instead of the 65 watt halogens, and also did some other fuel economy improvements to the car, getting around 45 miles of range now of usable state of charge. when i bought the car new around 1 year ago it only had around 32 miles usable EV range. got the car for 7800$ and ive already saved ~2000$ in gas lol, like a 3.5 year ROI at this point. cant say that about a tesla. doing more research it looks like the battery heating circuit, resistive cabin heat, and heated seats all run off of the 12v system so this could potentially help the most in cold weather. the Aircon somehow runs off the 340 volt system so probably not there other than the cabin fain is 12v. pretty sure I will use 3m window weld poly-urethane to secure the panel. need to test fit and see if i have the same issue with curvature as you... hoping 2x longer 100w pannels will be okay

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

LOL Mr. Hondafit without a TARP????/YAASSS LOL

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Issa towel though 🤷‍♂️

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

lol the t-shirt is the tarp, get with the times boomer@@HondaFit4Adventure

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

@@TheFloridaBikeVlogger M.A.G.A. Make Autozone Great Again! TM

[@arrtwo1375]

Newer subscriber and fellow fit freak, I'm awed by the consistent quality of your work. You're awesome man! IDK if you have a video or google doc with a full list of parts and upgrades you've done but I'd love to peep your performance mod list (CAI, bolt on turbo, lightweight wheels/tires, exhaust build etc). I'm also looking at a full rear drum to disc brake conversion kit, would love to hear your thoughts if you've done this already.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Thank You, Fit Fam! The 2022 tour video would be the closest thing I have to a mod list, but it's already outdated. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIiqdqCFnbN7jNEsi=aQQb8Bq80VwcmMdL Performance Mod List: I switched from an AEM short ram to a HPS CAI. "For looks" My rims are about the same weight as the factory wheels, but with oversized tires. This gives me a bit of a lift and also increases the top speed by 4mph. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ-VYnyLe9OfirMsi=g-ZIu4ZIqOoHdEUA That video is a bit dated to because I'm now up to 205/60/16. I added a short throw shifter, UDP, Pedal Commander and Rear sway bar to the car. That's about it for performance mods. I have not done the rear disc conversion. I've gotten a lot of requests for the "Clutch Delay Valve Delete" Wildwood front brakes and Honda Insight rear springs are next on the todo list. Every install is documented on the channel ;)

[@chucknorris8704]

Pretty reckless to have the solar panel fall off like that. Could've easily caused a crash.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

You're not wrong. I did some high speed testing out on some back roads first, but what I could not test for was longevity while traveling at speed. I saw a few other install videos recommending eternabond to secure the panel down. I can now inform those people/channels not to do this and refer them to a video that shows the installation method failing.

[@BrycePerry]

So just so I'm clear... you cut a HOLE in the ROOF OF YOUR CAR to run the cables through????

[@user-yb7vf8tb8z]

i think he removed the roof antenna and reused it hole for the solar wiring

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

I removed the antenna to run the solar panel cables through the roof of the car. No drilling required! I even had a nice "Junction Box" or "Entry Gland" for the cables to enter into the roof, back when I had the cargo basket setup. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWPXn4J9m8ycqLcsi=S1pwJNRRBAODO9aN&t=128 I no longer have am/fm radio which wasn't a big deal, until I went to a drive in Movie theatre and forgot that I needed to tune into a radio station to hear the audio, lol.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Yes, Sir!

[@tanko.reactions176]

how is regulation in america allowing this?? holy shit... you are literally endangering other peoples lives. extremely irresponsible.

[@vevenaneathna]

lol how is regulation in the uk allowing you to post. dont u ned a loience four dat

[@tanko.reactions176]

@@vevenaneathnaim not bri'ish.

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Hi Tanko, most of America is only concerned with emissions on a vehicle. Only about 20 states require regular safety inspections. I did some high speed testing out on some back roads first, but what I could not test for was longevity while traveling at speed. I saw a few other install videos recommending eternabond to secure the panel down. I can now inform those people/channels not to do this and refer them to a video that shows the installation method failing.