2000W Mobile Tesla Solar Charger - version 3.0 - more solar, lower mass, battery in frunk!

This video provides an update of my mobile Tesla soalar charging system. See prior videos that cover version 2.0.
Since version 2.0 (version 1.0 with rooftop panels was way too heavy!), I have made the following changes:
1. Replaced 48V EG4 battery with 4 12V battle born batteries
2. Moved the battery mass from the rear to the front to improve weight distribution. Less suspension squat in the rear!
3. Added 4 more frameless 175W solar panels and removed the aluminum frames from 4 of the exisiting panels. Significant mass reduction!
4. Added a Victron battery monitor with Bluetooth capabilities.

[@bryanpuryear7519]

Not going to lie I've thought about this but won't ever have money to do it but I'm glad to see someone out there living my dream and making things happen 🎉

[@Thyhack.]

You don't know how excited I was to see this video. I just discovered the 2.0 video and then I see that you dropped only the 3.0. I also found it funny how in the 2.0 video you said that the battery was Overkill in the trunk and then now as I'm watching the 3.0 you filled the frunk up with batteries. I really wish you could charge this car DC to DC. It would get rid of so much of the complexity. This is one of those things that everyone thinks of, but you actually did it. I also was watching the video about the haters, I would not take any offense to anything they have to say. However you should be very proud of what you accomplished.

[@gridfreeordie]

Thanks! So much more I could go into...and change. Not enough time!

[@xLopez210x]

I agree! It’s funny how everyone has something to say but nobody is doing anything to test theories. I love how you just did it, just do it and figured out solutions. I would do it with my model y but I’m waiting on the cybertruck for the trade in. I can’t wait to rip it all apart and throw my system in it just like you did 🎉🤙🏽

[@JESUSCHRYSLER5512]

@@gridfreeordie PLUG YOUR CAR INTO YOUR BELLY BUTTON AND YOU WILL HAVE POWER FOR LIFE.

[@leviahamefula3994]

I totally agree. DC/DC charging would save about 30 to 40% energy losses from the inverter converting dc to ac.

[@AutonomyCentral]

​@@leviahamefula3994there must be a way to do it, considering that's what the car does at a supercharger

[@ramhammer10-4]

This set up would be great for rv folks. Who go camping and the vehicle sits for days. They can charge up the car then use either the car or the solar panels to run the RV electrical systems. It's a win win set up.

[@joeabad5908]

I appreciate your character.. Function over form, just to prove a point..

[@BudgetGamerz]

I don't think it's just to prove a point though. Seems like this is how he lives his life.

[@markpetty9206]

The drag that is caused must be as much that is put in from the solar panels. I thought the solar panels would be stored inside the car when not in use??

[@PhilNelson_internet_fossil]

I lost track of the link to an online aerodynamic calculator tool I had sitting in a tab of my browser, but playing with that, to find the sweet spot for re-orienting the angle that stack of panels rides at, and maybe putting it into a smooth shell (made of foam and PMF, perhaps) for travel, might actually improve the aerodynamics.

[@joeabad5908]

Its a good proof of concept...i appreciate his efforts.. Putting money where his mouth is..👍

[@cali-electro-dad]

I'm pretty sure that misses the point that this is a destination charging system, not a 'while-driving' system.

[@viuvenitlalumina]

better design welcome. mr tesla.

[@Av-vd3wk]

Doubtful there’s any real impact from drag here. Reason being is the entire system is lower than the body of the car. The rear spoiler will also serve to push airflow up and over, etc. it’s also pretty close to the car itself and not much of a gap between the two

[@fenc666]

If you also handle the Air drag with a case or something you will have better mileage. Also if you elevate the solar panels from the ground on a sunny day they will have better performance in hot climate cause wind movement around them so faster charging. Or you could face them direct to the sun also. You need somekind of aerodinamik box that can also be a stand to them or something. But other than that cool project.

[@kickash5291]

I wonder if in the future a direct Solar to CCS DCFC which could match the input of the solar to the output of the charger. With such a system you would not need a big buffer of batteries. Also another advantage would be getting rid of inverter efficency loss and internal car charger loss, cutting upto 50% of the charging losses and improving charge times.

[@joeabad5908]

That's already a reality in Aptera and another startup with a "one" in the name which I can not recall..

[@SolarTechFL]

If you trick the tesla bms you can already do this, hook up panels in series until you have near 400v vmp and the battery will take it. Evtv did this with an 85kwh pack from a model s

[@kickash5291]

@@SolarTechFL can you tell me the title of the video?

[@xLopez210x]

I think he’s referring to EVTV Motor Verks. I can’t find the specific video but there’s a good place to start looking for it.

[@t.j.kniveton4586]

Love this! I've been wanting to figure out a mobile charging solution, and as an EE, was stumped by the mechanical engineering side of deployment. Love your simple and effective solution!!

[@xLopez210x]

Agreed 100% 🤙🏽

[@tonyknoblauch5846]

This is not a “solution”. It’s like pulling out a ti-84 to charge your house. What’s the point?

[@gridfreeordie]

Gracias!

[@dollarstorememes]

​@@tonyknoblauch5846Ok armchair engineer why don't you come up with something better

[@tnspnk3]

This is a little simple, but I was thinking; one way you could increase your input would be to first increase the length of the wires connecting each panel to the next. Then, put some "legs" under the top part of each panel, so you could adjust the angle; point each panel more toward the sun. The "legs" could be very simple, maybe just a bent inflexible wire running on the underside at the top, hinged so you could swing it down to hold the top of each panel up. That could go a long way toward aiming your panels more directly toward the sun.

[@good2freelance1]

is there a smart solar panel which can follow the sun's angle ?

[@SMMiles]

Why would you just use a much simpler controller/battery that can take in the solar and output to the car and be much smaller?

[@grantcurrin4934]

it might have been said before... take the LAT you are at and add 15, that is the angle you need to place your panels to the sun to get full wattage out.... Great job, im inspired!

[@Infinion]

The wire run next to the panels is shadowing some of the cells and probably limiting some current in your system. Some flexible cable management could help keep them out of the way.

[@brianm9962]

I am led to believe that 50% output from solar panels labelled output is the norm. Heat, solar intensity and panel orientation are the main things. I love what you are doing with your Tesla, great experimentation.

[@gridfreeordie]

Expect about 85% of room temperature power when facing the sun due to higher temperature.

[@joebloggs24]

In Australia they can use the machine that print labels for canned goods to print photovoltaics. They can run for metres behind the car when parked, like these panels, but simply roll it back up and put it in the car when not in use. Best to use a cylindrical postpak kind of thing to keep the edges in good condition. Cost is around $20 for the roll of paper

[@oleglyan]

8:50 i would suggest to have dummy paneles in between, so you would be able to unfold each active panel at an angle to ground, normal to sun Ray's

[@Kimbili]

güneş enerjisi ile şarj işlemi 🤗 ister evde ister iş yerinde ister piknik alanında her zaman heryerde şarj yapılması harika 😉👍👏

[@denniss2474]

I see the shadows on the solar panels from the cable aling the line. Even small shadow has a big impact on dropping the performance. Amazing setup tho 👍

[@stevespawn1]

Love it. Cool so when car is topped off the battleborns get topped off. Free gas station -take with you. 1200 watts coming in will add up over 6 hours. Maybe 6-7 kWh-for free if sun is shining. I personally just use the solar on my house grid tied. These mad max approaches are fun fun fun.

[@jameskniskern2261]

Seems like you need a south facing steep slope to set up on... ;) Great idea. Great implementation.

[@lowcolin]

Drag coefficient must be killing it

[@egaskrad]

So tesla theoretically use 280~340Wh per mile (174~211Wh per km). This unit was charging at 1250Wh that is roughly 3.68~4.46 miles per hour, or 5.74~7 miles per hour at it full 1950Wh capacity. That is definitely not bad, not to mention the very cool and practical design. This is the number one portable solar charging system for tesla I have seen so far.

[@STho205]

But you can walk at 5 mph. You can bike at 20mph. A horse can go 30mph pulling an Amish buggie, or draft cargo at 8mph. Progress?

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@STho205 You are missing that the human body burns calories when you bike or walk, so you must factor in the cost of food and water to cost of walking or biking everywhere. Also it takes time to eat and poop.

[@STho205]

@@uhjyuff2095 heaven forbid you burn any calories when you have Wall-E to serve your every growing girth.

[@drockjr]

Thanks for the equation

[@rayamanelly]

@@STho205 Yes it is progress! It's free energy. 5 miles in one hour is excellent. Image is you have the space to unroll these at work and 8 hour shift? I could park Neary middle schools unused baseball field and drive all week free of charge. In my durango, I spend easily 20 dollars per day.

[@michaelsmithers4900]

How about a little kickstand on each panel so you can optimize the angle?

[@sawkpawn4071]

That’ll be on version 3.1 lol

[@Dptl]

How about not go through so much hassle and just get a simple gas car 😂 it’s understandable if you are in electrical profession. 😊 no offense I like Teslas

[@nezb01]

I was thinking the same thing before I read your comment. 😂

[@michaelsmithers4900]

@@Dptl I think it’s been covered in these comments and those to earlier videos by this channel, that this is more of a fun project/experiment. Not like were all going to drive around dragging 20 panels… But to your point- i can’t think of much easier than plugging my car in at my house 1-2x per week. I don’t miss seeking out “cheap” gas, smelling gas, pumping gas, huffing fumes etc. Elec on the other hand is everywhere. Lastly if things bad I can’t make gas, but I can make electricity. For me I’ll take the simple old fashioned electric car👌

[@Dptl]

@@michaelsmithers4900 i appreciate your response. It has been a constant dilemma for me since growing up and learning about the gas scarcity and air pollution concerns, one would think that here we are today in the age of electric cars by these revolutionary auto manufacturers. If the goal was to promote electric cars to eliminate worries of running out of gas then by all means all electric car manufacturers should be controlled by government and they all should be free for whoever wants to buy one. My goto comparison is model 3 and honda civic. One is 60-70k the later is 25-30k. According concerns about end of gas, it is clearly no brainer the electric cars should be abundantly available for free just for the fact that electricity you can generate but the gas you cant (your understanding not mine). Just a healthy discussions. Imho.

[@quantux]

I hope to see you get a cyber truck and fit adjustable frames in the back to properly orient panels while charging. This is awesome!

[@meilyn22]

why don't you get a crybertruck and do this while we watch?

[@swss12]

I like it how your battery terminals are like an inch away from hitting your frunk cover. Be careful out there…

[@bengrillet]

Is the frunk made of metal? Or plastic?

[@t.j.kniveton4586]

@@bengrillet The "frunk cover" (i.e. the hood) is made of painted metal. It's a fair criticism that the terminals and cabling should be covered with an insulator.

[@gridfreeordie]

The batteries are encased tightly with styrofoam pads now.

[@paulneilson6117]

If you make 2 of these and place them at 92.2 degrees and allow the mid line aim at the average sun elevation. This will give you 4kw×1.4 = 5.5 Kw. Explain why after you try it. 🤔 Hint: one panel's reflected light hits the other side. Please don't allow any exposed terminals in the compartment. Use some liquid vinyl tape to cover all exposed live voltage. I dropped a tool with exposed wires and it caused an electrical fire. Don't forget 2 fire extinguishers. Look for the new type for lithium fires.

[@brianreynolds4627]

Fantastic idea…well thought out too!…Brian in the UK.

[@jorgea1690]

Wouldn't be better to make a DC voltage upscaler and connect it directly to the charging point, besides converting DC to AC and then back to DC with the Tesla portable charger? You can upscale voltage of each battery and then connect the 4 circuits in series so you can achieve the desired final voltage easily

[@adamcook4122]

Thinking of setting up a similar albeit smaller charging solution on my Volt. I haven’t heard it elsewhere on KZbin, but it makes sense to be able to measure the angle of the sun and calculate with the cosine to determine the percentage of light/power “lost” to the angle. Thanks!

[@jaysonstebbins2539]

That's awesome man! Gotta take in consideration your efficiency drop from the inverter. 10-20%? So 1200 watts input on your solar is about 1120 watts then 1120 watts at 85% is about 950 watts. So a total from panel to outlet is about 75-80%. Just thought to keep in mind. 2000 watts if achieved would be about 1600-1700 watts at best to the car? Cool stuff!

[@islandclub69420]

NOICE... roof cargo box mounted on the rear flat or vertical evry thing can fold in to nice & tikdaway..rockon!!

[@ByrdRecords]

I love that this has been done, great job. This might work out better with a ford lightning.

[@raymundhofmann7661]

Wow, a full day of perfect sun charging and then half an hour of driving!

[@bengrillet]

Two things: 1) This is basically a prototype, a 'proof of concept', a first or second try out, and pretty impressive for that. 2) If you want to cross a wide area where charge points are few and far between, or non-existant, it would be reassuring to know that you will never be stuck with a dead battery. If you tried the same challenge in an ICE car and ran out of gas, you would be screwed.

[@jamingaming9251]

@@bengrillet it proves that EVs are not suitable for long distance travel. And there's no way anyone can get the mileage to offset the huge amount of co2 produced making EVs.

[@EARTHKEENING]

At the beginning, it was nothing and God said let be a steam engine , God liked it and then said let be desal engine, God liked it then said let to be a gas engine, God liked it them said let to be EV cars God liked it , I'm really sure God will say let to be EV charged on solar panels one day .

[@MichaelEricMenk]

Suggestions for improvement: Have a small computer (raspberry pi), an pull the SOC from the BMV. Use this information to push through Tesla's API a change in the amp draw. Example 98 : 12A This way the car will match the solar input. The same can be used on a stationary PV system.

[@paulpham8138]

A EVSE like OpenEVSE can do this, they call it “solar divert” i.e. charge using only excess solar power. Doing it by way of a Pi and the Tesla API would require LTE or Wifi connectivity, where this is designed to be used you can’t assume it will have API connectivity

[@gridfreeordie]

I actually do something similiar to this at home with Schneider equipment, but it requires the internet. I'd need a hotspot / SIM card to call the API while I'm charging away in my work parking lot. A hotspot + Pi is certainly cheaper than 5kWh of battle born batteries, but I had them left over from another build. 5kWh of battery buffer is way more than I need on a daily basis to handle clouds. I've yet to explore MODBUS communication with Victron components, but I'd need to use the battery monitor to gauge current flow in/out of the battery since I use the MPPT inside the EG4. The EG4 is a simple, compact MPPT/inverter, but it's software is total garbage. Using a Victron MPPT would be better, but it requires more cables, fuses, etc. Maybe someday...

[@gridfreeordie]

@@paulpham8138 I will look more into OpenEVSE...see below.

[@MichaelEricMenk]

@@gridfreeordie The signal that sends the "max amperage " to the car is a PWM signal. Diffrent duty cycle changes the amps from 6 to 64.

[@goatmaster3387]

Funny how unique New Mexice is, saw the houses behind you and instantly thought of Albuquerque above Tramway.

[@claudioporto5926]

Hi, great DYI 😊 I saw some cables shading the panels , that have impact , one full row on the third panel have a shade from the cable, that panel output is lowered 😉

[@ELCEV]

Possibly add a telescoping hitch receiver and swivel so you can lay them out left or right as needed

[@michaelsmithers4900]

If someone knows how to open up DC/DC charging it would open up so much opportunity. Id like to have 1-2 panels integrated into to roof to cover phantom drain when it’s parked for long periods. Sometimes my ‘job’ causes me to have to park it for months at a time👍

[@bernardcharlesworth9860]

I think 2 panels would keep 12v battery charged and prevent drain from traction battery over long periods.

[@bogdansala6434]

You could add for each panel some small adjustable legs to adjust the angle of the panel to the most efficient one.

[@Emmanuel-wo4gs]

Awesome! We can use mirror to compensate for the angle loss of the panel

[@PianoImprov.rjgc1991]

Can you put wheels on the panels and drive at 2mph indefinitely until the sunset

[@exil3dlivecom]

😂

[@Jetiexperte]

Some of the solar cables cast a shadow... Definitely could produce more without it.

[@Eco-VillePatagoniaChile]

Perhaps with the cybertruck you can do a larger system, so you have an off road off the grid survival truck. Probably get 10 to 15 larger sized panels, solarize on that thing.

[@dennisschlieckau8723]

If you get the Nema 5-20 UMC adapter from shop tesla and use a Nema 5-20R to 5-15P adapter you will be able to charge at 16 Amps. If your system outputs 120V you should be able to pull 1,920 Watts. You can always manually limit the Amps if your uncomfortable with that draw.

[@vklymenko]

The first thing you need to have together with that is red cones

[@christophdunkel1562]

Hi I am electronics engineer and also have a tesla. Nice to see your solar cells, really nice. But right now you go from DC to AC and then back to DC on the Tesla battery? Did you ever check the loss you have due to those two conversations cycles? I wonder if you could not just go with a dcdc converter from dolar to battery voltage with a mppt boost converter? Should be quite more efficient. And you wouldn't need any extra batteries. I am not familiar (yet) with the dc interface of the tesla charge connector.

[@mariomoldenhauer8435]

I think the trick would be to connect the MPPT boost charge controller to a direct connection of the car's 400 Volt DC main battery bus. No messing with the charging ports that way. Would this be possible?

[@soilliam]

Very cool I hope to build a van version of this one day

[@jacktsai7165]

First off, props to you to design and execution. I was wondering about a setup like this of the Model Y. I realized that it is super unpractical to draw power from solar to feed a car level transport. Even at 120V 10A, it only feeds 1kW to the batttery, Charge time to go up 16%SOC is over 10HRs. From a daily active transport cycle perspective, it is ineffective. Very cool experiment, I thank you for sharing your results. I have always wondered if the Car could carry around push flower "petal PV " oragami style. Power Output from Solar into Car Bat must be around 6-7kW for sustained 4 -6 hrs to be considered practical transport. I wonder would it be the size of your panels x 6? Your 2kW System already looks like a like of SA to cover tho. Anyways, very cool experiment. Look forward to your future designs!

[@darylfortney8081]

Wouldn’t it be better to DC charge instead of inverting to AC?

[@t.j.kniveton4586]

Converting to AC and back to DC does lose some efficiency, but not too much. Modern inverters like the EG4 are very efficient. You get a lot of safety and battery management courtesy of Tesla by going to AC and back to DC so it's the right move for a simple system like this.

[@Rabs73]

Nice work. You are are pioneer. Keep it up

[@nihongobenkyoshimasu3190]

For version 4.0, since the battery get moved into the frunk, to avoid penalty drag from the rear monted tow hitch, why not carrying the PV inside the trunk. The trunk is about 6 feet long, so the PV should fit. And just build a sliding mechanism to put or remove the PV stack from the trunk. The inverter could be moved behind the driver seat into the rear passengers foot area.

[@Upliftyourbrothers]

Gro watt makes a ‘no battery needed’ inverter. But a small battery buffer is nice

[@mikeestrella2]

I've read enough of these comments that don't get the thought of this system. Let's start off with what it cost to charge an ev today and it differs area to area. Most will spend an average of $18 for a partial charge 3 time a week equaling $54 a week $216 a month $2592 annually. Just that being said his now 3.0 system in the range of $5500 will give him a 2 year prepay on charging. Just for kicks the average commuter car will use an average of $3500 annually of gas and 96% of use pay that and point out the DC to AC back to DC 95% of all systems go through to give Americans electric power. As this small mobile charging system is more of the ease of a non complicated wiring all in one to convert solar into usable power anywhere even if you're home is without power. Not to mention the plug to charge the car needs AC to work so no small home use all DC system for charging is available ( at this time ) unless you have a 52 amp or larger quick charger not available for home use today I own a small mobile charging business and I have looked everywhere in the world for better and better systems. What this man has installed in his Tesla is a 24/7 system and will work for his car charging needs and home emergencies till the battle Borns give out in 20 years. That's many years of DC to AC back to DC use without the grid. Thanks for your video it brings me back to how I started my business.

[@oleglyan]

Good start! Do it now, Solve issues later.

[@kimnielsenthewordyvikingett159]

I'm thinking it's a good thing it fits into the frunk!!!

[@jlm4836]

I wonder if a 4 sided fold down trailer would be beneficial for camping? Sleep in your car, while the trailer becomes your Tesla charger and full powered kitchen !

[@dgw4049]

Seems like the additional weight from the front batteries and the drag from the rack panels would drop your efficiency by at least %5.

[@SamsLiberty]

Seems like you could reduce drag a lot by rotating the panels 90 on the vertical axis.

[@jackbouizhac1058]

Instead of hooking it to the rear bumper tailgate solar panels,make it become a roof headache rack and at the same time cover overhead of the car like a garage port to keep the vehicle and the batteries inside cooler.And adjust the solar panels to the angle of the sun,make a overhead rack just like also how tow truck beds angle hydraulic to the floor to pick up their towing vehicles and construct it from aluminum instead of steel frame.

[@trcythmpsn]

Why not make the rear holder swivel so you can lay them across the top of the car. Make a rubberized bottom on the panels so they don't scratch anything. This way you're not taking up all that room on the ground.

[@adddude7524]

Nice experiment but I wonder if that would be actually worth it with the added drag, weight, hassle, etc... I really hope some OEM starts to properly implement solar soon. Shame that Sono Motors isn't producing their car after all.

[@robertoguerra5375]

Great experiment :) I think you could improve the incidence angle if you make your panels rigid, park your whole string of panels perpendicular to the sun azimuth, then angle up your rigid panels facing straight to the sun Din35 rails would be the way to do it also mount the folded panels on roof mount rails, instead of the rear hitch

[@4x4electric]

Nice setup! Next time you could use our CCS solar charger we used during our expedition 😊

[@KamalaChameleon]

I hope there is a EV van like the Rivian one for Amazon available to the public soon.. and you coat it with panels which might be enough to live mostly off grid..

[@tnspnk3]

Another thought; though this may be impracticable. How does the Tesla know its hooked up to a Tesla supercharger? How complicated is the handshake that goes on when connected? Could you possible "fool" the Tesla into thinking it's hooked up to a charger and use the DC pins to send charge (more or less) directly to the battery? (Though a diode system of some kind so current could only flow Into the battery). Might be easier than trying to get to the battery itself. (Though you'd think that would be possible as well).

[@mariomoldenhauer8435]

Why cannot we have a MPPT boost charge controller directly connected to the main 400 Volt DC bus of the battery. This would save the need extra batteries, the inverter, charger back to DC. I think I saw one video or Forum post of someone who bought a very old Chevy Bolt with very degraded batteries and installed solar panels onto the car with just that boost charge controller straight to the car's batteries. Have you looked into that? Would you consider it?

[@applegateoutdoorsadventures]

Because using an unauthorized DC charging unit will almost certainly void the warranty. Tesla could have easily added this feature but it is too risky to cover because who knows what some fool could splice it into. A solar charge controller will overcharge a battery if there is wrong system configuration or wrong wiring.

[@Gallardo6669]

I run the same setup at my house: it sucks!!! Using a non- hybrid inverter always has to tap into the battery, especially if you can't have the load not automatically adjusting to be right below solar production. He tampered too much around his car to create a non efficient high maintenance toy.

[@leviahamefula3994]

Someone up there commented on how the charging amps can be adjusted based on the battery SOC using raspberry pi and whatnot. Try to be more optimistic than pessimistic even when you fail, it helps. ✌️

[@Gallardo6669]

@@leviahamefula3994 I am optimistic when I get to know how a microcontroller or microprocessor can solve this for real.... Currently the market can't and any KZbinr didn't show me yet how it's done either. I work with electric/ electronics/programming myself..... Stop dreaming and show me reality, how it's done?????????

[@leviahamefula3994]

@@Gallardo6669 👀.... Why are you shouting? 😂

[@extremejoy]

0:20 - for a second there I thought your license plate said “PERV”…😂

[@traveling.down.the.road56]

If the panels unfolded the opposite direction they could cover the entire car and provide shade to keep the interior cooler while parked and charging, plus you would not need to use as much ground area.

[@Maestrodeluniverso]

I hope that people noted that this video was filmed at 1:00 pm in California and the PV only get 60% of their maximum capacity 1200 watts out of 2000 watts panels. The efficiency of this system further diminishes as the Sun angle moves to the west.

[@seojimjames]

Thanks for the great video ! All that great looks very heavy, which will take its toll on the energy you store. the heavier your equipment load the more inefficient this becomes.

[@gkcmgk]

You have created a vehicle that can easily be driven on long desert roads without any fuel problems, as long as there are no technical problems. And I think it has enough capacity to provide enough energy for camping. I wish panel technology would improve and take up less space. Think about what can be done. But then energy companies cannot ask citizens to pay their bills with high taxes. Unfortunately, we cannot progress in a bad order.

[@timberthewolf733]

This just looks fun to do + might be fun while camping.

[@davi75668]

I like the PoC, video is great. But wouldn't having to carry around those panels and batteries make the efficiency of the car go down?

[@ferolivalenz6069]

I’ve seen your car charging on the street and always wondered if it really works.

[@survivaltrotter-com]

Great! Keep on improving! Please share a link of the solar angle measure thing! I.never have seen this. What is it called? I also will Google it! Respect from The Netherlands! Theo, Adventurer & Trendwatcher on many subjects

[@gridfreeordie]

www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8J492BR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Or you can make your own with a little math. The 10deg ring spacings are fairly linear for small angles but widens to infinity if you want to capture very wide angles. (ring_radius) = (height_of_dot) * tan (sun_angle), where a sun_angle of 0 is when the sun is directly overhead

[@billwatkins8227]

With those four batteries in the front,and loading the panels on the back, this car must have the agility of a Sherman tank.

[@Doctrtony]

My friend had a cheap pair of solar panels attached to the roof of his old van and people jacked them while he was working, he was parked in best buy parking lot. Be careful out there with that set-up

[@matthewtaylor3351]

At 14kw.hr per 100km, even 2kw input for (say) 4 hrs is adding ~57km. Not bad for urban commuting. Next goal my would be to make the system easier to deploy.

[@ruggedplus]

Cool project! May I ask for part numbers of you flex solars on the top and the back. Thanks.

[@andrenutbrown2284]

Any kind of obstruction did the sunlight of the panels is going to significantly reduce their output you need to move your son direction indicator off the panel and watch the voltage change

[@S1KDAY]

Why not hack the cars bms/charge controller or add a standalone bms/controller? Then no need for the inverter or exta batteries... It's still going to take days to charge the 100kwh battery

[@STARFLEETC0MMAND]

Is it possible to install an EMP Shield to protect all the vehicle's components ??? 🖖 Thanks for the awesome videos.

[@jamingaming9251]

If it's not on it won't get fried by an emp.

[@yeroca]

I like the novel panel layout, but the heavy batteries seem almost completely useless. Hauling around that extra mass seems like a bad design decision to me.

[@DavidV.Amendola]

Coefficient drag, weight and initial don’t make this worth it unless it’s at a “home” base to pick it off the home for emergency use.

[@macrumpton]

I'm guessing you have a deposit on an Aptera...

[@MarkSpohr]

Very nice build!

[@litestuffllc7249]

I definately appreciate the objective, but try that up here in Seattle or worse Ketchikan ... Maybe it would work 2 months out of the year here.

Thank you for sharing this video. One question: in case of hard braking, wouldn't the batteries move forward?

[@gridfreeordie]

The batteries are encased tightly with styrofoam pads now.

[@TheJkarc007]

It's really creative, but I don't think it's the solution for EVs. Thanks for sharing it.

[@keithbar19741974]

Wonder how much time you have to charge in full sun to replace the wasted energy hauling the extra weight and reduced aerodynamics of the panels on the back. My guess would be in general you could remove all this and just solar charge at home and be better off.

[@freedomisntfree_44]

I’d buy a predator 2000 from harbor freight to keep in the trunk if I ever bout an ev.

[@mariovalgamidadez9934]

Can it fully charge this car?

[@freedomisntfree_44]

@@mariovalgamidadez9934 eventually I guess

[@AlexRapada-ft6tm]

What a cool experiment.

[@andyrandy0815]

Bigger batteries in the front are also possible. Just install that hot rod typical cooling huts. 😉

[@pvande]

Good job, congrats. How did you handle the grounding / floating neutral issue? Or does the Tesla UMC accepts the EG4 AC outlet as it is?

[@gridfreeordie]

The inverter ground "lead" is manually tied to the neutral "lead" to make the charger happy. Ground/neutral are also tied to the frame of the vehicle. The EG4 actually doesn't have a ground lead, just a grounding bolt on the side. Not a fan.

[@pvande]

@@gridfreeordie Thanks. Makes sense.

[@SolarCannonball1]

Thanks, had the same question

[@SolarCannonball1]

@@gridfreeordie thanks!

[@EpicBenjo]

If you can somehow have it folded into the trunk, that would be even better

[@thebestmoments6551]

The battery in the front bumper is flip to the side that's wrong you must put the battery in regular positions because the water of the battery is going to mess and can be a voltage problem .

[@excillisbank2611]

Ce projet est ahurissant et cool à la fois ! cool ...🤩👍

[@Nicoolai]

Great build! Thanl you for the video! Keep it up!

[@DSJVNdsjnvf4356]

I swear I just want to see a Tesla with a big af sail of solar panels that literally powers it completely. Someone's gonna do it, I'd imagine.

[@HandfulOfTranquility]

If those panels are in series then the output will be limited by the lowest panel. IE, the one on the hitch at a very different angle is probably getting less exposure than the flat ones, at least if the sun is overhead or behind it. So, just be sure to set up so that angled one is getting more exposure than the flat ones

[@gridfreeordie]

Actually the bypass diode on each panel prevents any one panel from limiting the current of all the others. If one panel is lower current, at worst you'll get the current/power equal to all the other fully illuminated panels, and in reality you'll get a bit more power due to a boost in the arrays fill factor. But overall, yes they would ideally all be at the same angle. Lookup bypass diode solar panel.

[@HandfulOfTranquility]

@@gridfreeordie are those built in to the panels or did you have to add those?

[@gridfreeordie]

@@HandfulOfTranquility Buiilt into the smal boxes on the front or back of the panel. Nearly all panels have them but there are some cheap panels that do not. Commercial glass panels typically have 3 bypass diodes (one for each 1/3rd of the panel). You can also learn about about blocking diodes to prevent the battery or other strings of panels from dumping power into a shaded string. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6nCZ4KCmaaimtU&ab_channel=DIYSolarPowerwithWillProwse - this video is mostly correct except the panel he shows has only 1 string of cells, and one bypass diode is in parallel with half of the 16 cells and the other is in parallel with the other half 16 cells.

[@FirstLast-tx3yj]

​@@gridfreeordiehello sir, why do you need the batteries in the frunk? Isnt it possible to charge directly from the panels into the tesla battery??

[@gridfreeordie]

@FirstLast-tx3yj The battery is required to handle intermittent clouds and my desire to charge at a fixed power during the day while the solar power follows a cosine curve. Apparently this inverter can go without a battery, but I haven't tried it. Nearly all off-grid inverters require a battery. I don't think I would achieve adequate data transmission if it were battery-less even if it worked without a battery because it may turn off and stay off if the charging load was more than input solar .

[@david9192]

How much range in a hour will that give you