DIY: A drivable solar rooftop for my Tesla Model Y (20 to 75 miles per day)

[@DartSolar]

Enter your email at dartsolar.com so I can send you updates.

[@mrsrhardy]

New Voltron DCtoDC chargers are 98% efficent and run cool FYI, so V3xxx maybe? 700watt pannels are dropping and replacing the 4xx watt ones with newer technology and significant improvement's in efficeny (20-22 is now peaking around 30% with ntype, Bi-facial, Double Glazed, Shingled, Monocrystelline Solar Panels)...

[@cypvh74]

Would mention the benefit that you are providing a shade canopy as well for the car, keeping it cooler inside when parked in the hot sun.

[@DartSolar]

Totally, saves on cabin overheat

[@powoxi]

This is actually pretty cool. The unique design is what really makes it shine. It's not just another generic product; it has its own personality. You can tell that a lot of thought went into creating something different.

[@Visethelegend]

Tesla should do just what the Prius is doing with it’s hybrid plug in ev. It has a solar roof already integrated, the roof itself doesn’t give you much extra range but it’s definitely worth considering to implement and improve it.

[@DartSolar]

Well, that solar panel is super helpful to not end up with a dead battery

[@farzins7682]

this roof solar only keep the 12v service battery charged. this idea of solar on the roof won't work and so many done this before and none flew off due to high cost and low gain.

[@joeabad5908]

@@farzins7682 the car has to be designed around the solar panel.. Think Aptera !!

[@BrianAnother]

The Prius solar panel doesn’t extend range at all.

[@xiaopangpang7082]

For those interested in integrated solar in an EV, you might want to look at the Aptera. The vehicle is currently in pre-production testing (safety, distance, etc.) and finalizing supply contracts. Designed to have integrated solar in the hood, dashboard, roof and rear deck.

[@Mediiiicc]

Aptera is only a point A to point B vehicle, it doesn't do anything else. It's ugly, has no utility, and won't be fun to drive. Customers want more from a vehicle than what it offers. The people behind Aptera know it will be a flop out of the gate which is why they are dragging their feet for so long when they could have already released the vehicle. Collecting that investor money because that's all the money they will ever see.

[@xiaopangpang7082]

@@Mediiiicc Aaannndd you completely missed my point. I said to look at the integration of solar into the vehicle. While I commend the creator of this video for ingenuity, the drag of the solar panels will eliminate so much of the power gain. The solar panel system and tested panels for long term road use from the Aptera are worthwhile to consider on any EV. There are also developments from a Norwegian company on flexible solar panel films. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years. Dartsolar looking forward to seeing the Beta 2 developments.

[@Mediiiicc]

@@xiaopangpang7082 You're comment is an advertisement for Aptera more than anything else

[@xiaopangpang7082]

This video is about applying solar panels to EVs, a topic of great interest to me. Since the German Sono solar EV project went bankrupt, there are few other examples than the Aptera which I consider unfortunate. I would like to see a much more competitive environment. Do you have anything positive to contribute to the solar EV conversation? To the rest of the community, are you aware of any other new developments? Would love to hear about that!

[@DartSolar]

Thank you so much for this. Aptera is a great car, the only problem I see is the most consumers don't want solar panels or solar cells embedded into the body of their car. It is pretty expensive to maintain, in case one breaks. Also consumers prefer the electric vehicles that they have bought because of other considerations like the number of passengers and size. I believe solar is an aftermarket product for electric vehicles. Those who wanted can add it to the car, if they choose.

[@claudiorusso2389]

Very Good job. Extend the concept to RV Vans too!

[@DartSolar]

Such a great idea -- what are the dimensions of your roof?

[@claudiorusso2389]

I don't have a van, I'm only projecting in my mind how should it be. I'm thinking of a 6 m long electric van.@@DartSolar

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

@@claudiorusso2389I have 1620W (4 ea 405W REC) on top of Chevy Express. Works great- approximately 6kWh/day.

[@naegahaetv]

@@DartSolar I'm the one who is driving a truck in Korea. I want to charge my truck camper with solar power, but there is no related technology in Korea. I wonder how I can do DC charging in DC

[@BLR1GBattlemaster]

Ah, I see you're using flex panels. Nice. I had this same idea awhile ago, but I was going to implement it as a popup canopy / tent instead.

[@DartSolar]

Someone else on Reddit told me about a company that provides that service, I forget their name

[@evstafievcoach]

I’m glad that I found this video! Subscribed and can not wait on updates about beta 2 version. Thanks 🙏

[@DartSolar]

Glad you liked it. In about two weeks beta2 should we finished. If you add your email at dartsolar.com I can send you the quarterly updates

[@stevenbrown5853]

This would be a great product for a teardrop or squaredrop trailers

[@kids850]

This is awsome. should be sold commercially to every one..

[@DartSolar]

That's the plan, ideally I'd like to create an op source model so the different designers can create parts for the different vehicles makes and models. To get more details you can sign up at dartsolar.com

[@jamessever8936]

This is so awesome! Im glad someone is driving this idea forward! Most people have thought solar charging for evs is pointless, but if you expand it beyond the size of the car you really can get a considerable amount of energy. Also have you thought of making them have some rudimentary sun tracking system? Usually these systems are more work than just adding more panels, but since space is a commodity in this situation, making them track the sun could REALLY boost output quite a bit!

[@DartSolar]

That's a great idea! Or using reflectors to increase wattage!

[@jamessever8936]

@@DartSolar yeah, reflectors could probably have a similar effect. I have done testing with my panels and you lose a lot less power during winter months if you can keep the angle normal to the sun. Your power output can double during the winter in areas like California.

[@dagnon99]

I'm super excited! One thing I like to say.. there is no way to make gas out of thin air if you run out in the forest it will be almost if not impossible.. but with this tech you can def get yourself back to civilization without an issue.

[@DartSolar]

Thank you! I don't mean to create gas, I need to recharge my electric vehicle with the sun in the forest

[@fmr3016]

The project is amazing. I'm really excited to see how it continues! Great job!!!

[@DartSolar]

Thanks a bunch!

[@lasersaber]

This is excellent! I have been planning on building something similar. Subscribed!

[@DartSolar]

Welcome aboard!

[@tristanbased-af2159]

the minimizing injury part was GENIUS!!!

[@DartSolar]

Haha, thanks!

[@PopsGG]

Nice work on the concept. I have built a camper van and this is basically the same idea as RVs with solar, but the compact and extendable function is great. The only problem is this is really only useful for a Dooms Day/Overlanding scenario. If you built a solar carport at home it would basically do the same thing, without the drag loss.

[@DartSolar]

Very true -- but my goal is to charge anywhere, grocery store, office, forest. For people that just want to charge at home they can connect directly to their roof's solar if they have one. The aerodynamic loss will be tested with the shorter-height version, the second prototype. I'll reply here wit the numbers when I get the data

[@antonioricotorres3350]

Less damage from sun, no need to wait for charge

[@CarlWithACamera]

@@DartSolar there's significant data online regarding the efficiency loss from drag of bike racks, both rear mounted and roof mounted. Sadly, it's not good news for a large cross-section mounted on the roof. I did this research when considering a sedan versus hatchback and decided on the hatchback where the bike can be carried inside my vehicle.

[@fmr3016]

There was a German start-up company where the entire car body was made of solar panels. There were several iterations but in the end you could hardly see that the body was made of solar panels. The company went bankrupt before series production. Apparently, large corporations didn't want to see this car on the road. In case anyone is interested, the company was called "Sono Motors" and the vehicle was called "Sion". It's a real shame that this vehicle never went into mass production!

[@adddude7524]

I really wanted to buy that car! It would have been the perfect family car for us. The company is still around but they now focus on providing the same tech B2B to OEMs. So fingers crossed we at least see this make it into cars at some stage. All these add-on fold out solutions aren't practical. It needs to be integrated from the factory.

[@DartSolar]

I think you're referencing the Lightyear One, but also take a look at up Aptera - they have an awesome car

[@DartSolar]

Ideally, I see this more than aftermarket product. I feel only 5% of electric vehicle owners would want this on their car, not everybody wants embedded solar cells on their car's body.

[@fmr3016]

No, I am not referring to the lightyear one. The Name of the company is "Sono Motors" and the product was "Sion". I am aware of Aptera Motors it's interesting but everything but a family car...

[@DartSolar]

@@fmr3016 Ahh true true. Embedded solar cell attempt (except for Aptera) have failed

[@FlareNee]

I think this is amazing idea. Keep going my guy. 🎉 I want to see this in production.

[@DartSolar]

Thank you! To get updates please enter your email at dartsolar.com -- we will also distribute blueprints there.

[@paulg8065]

Super cool project, subscribed.

[@DartSolar]

Thanks for the sub!

[@Diallo2]

just saw your post on reddit. This is exciting! Thanks for all of your work!

[@DartSolar]

Welcome!

[@tristanbased-af2159]

I recommend using a custom tail hitch method to transfer the panels! I've seen someone else do it and it's better for your drag coefficient!!

[@DartSolar]

Well, this particular prototype is 13 inches high, our second prototype was 5 inches high and it had an aerodynamic drag loss of about 7%. Our third prototype is only one inch high and the aerodynamic drag loss is negligible. My original intent was to drive to work, park my car walk away, and the solar array automatically expand. I don't want to drive with a tail hitch all day.

[@rp9674]

Love it, that would be great for camping, if that's your thing

[@DartSolar]

That's the plan!

[@willberg8599]

This would be cool for camping as it could double as a shade

[@DartSolar]

That's exactly right!

[@AlexanderHuzar]

Aerodynamically speaking, having a rounded blunt edge and a long sharp tail works best. A lot of roof rack boxes actually work better when mounted backwards for this reason.

[@DartSolar]

Aerodynamically speaking that was the first prototype which is 13 inches in height. The second prototype is only 5 inches in height and the third prototype is 1 inch and height. We've done some test and the aerodynamic drag loss is negligible if we include a windbreaker and a tailbreaker.

[@14energy]

Amazing ❤

[@DartSolar]

Thanks 😄

[@antronx7]

Connect all panels in series for 178V then feed DC-DC boost converter connected to 360V tesla battery directly.

[@DartSolar]

Love it, have you done this before. Do you have any insights as to the comms cable and how to interpret the signals?

[@antronx7]

@@DartSolar have not done it but i want to try with my nissan leaf. Would have to spoof charger can bus signald to make the car think its ac charging.

[@Jedi2155]

@@DartSolar Older Tesla's uses Tesla proprietary charging comms. 2021 and newer typically include CCS2 communications.

[@replica1052]

how about a roll of solar comming of your trunk

[@DartSolar]

Yes, people have built those already. You can def. get more coverage that way.

[@jedics1]

Curious to see what you do with the junction boxes as they are really in the way for the sliding design I want to do. Surprised no one has made the a low profile junction that comes out the side yet.

[@DartSolar]

Yes we moved the junction box. Go to DartSolar.com/beta2 - there is a photo of our junction box there, in the gallery section

[@Solid_Snake99]

This is a must for people who go to the beach often 🇮🇹🏖️

[@DartSolar]

Indeed! Or camping =D

[@Solid_Snake99]

@@DartSolar keep us updated this is interesting for plug in hybrids

[@DartSolar]

@@Solid_Snake99 Will do -- if you enter your email address on dartsolar.com you can download the blueprints and get updates

[@JoeMalovich]

I've always thought sliding mechanisms were more difficult to design in a application like this. Have you explored the option of only hinges to unfold?

[@DartSolar]

That’s true. But sliding mechanisms can be actuated. Folding and hinges are way harder to actuate and automate

[@pyroghost11]

You should be hired by Tesla

[@DartSolar]

I don't think they're focusing on solar as a main priority. I personally would like to create an open source project so that different designers can create the components needed for the different make, and models of different electric vehicles.

[@surfguy777]

Great job! Hope this idea takes off for you to compete or sell to some of the big companies that are trying similar.

[@DartSolar]

Fingers crossed!

[@commanderbly009]

could it maybe be taken apart or folded to fit in the trunk? should make aero much better. 150lbs of stuff being lifted doesnt seem easy or safe tho

[@MoDa87]

It could be designed like a canopy. So it is on legs above the car.

[@DartSolar]

True. Right now we’re considering all options. Even integrating with roof so there is no space between roof and device

[@tserica]

I'm curious about this because I'm in the process of building my own car-roof portable charger. Definitely interested to see how it goes for you.

[@DartSolar]

You can get our blueprints on dartsolar.com -- click on Beta2

[@Lowzone73]

thought about this YEARS ago...most people are parked outside at work from 9-5, prime sunlight time. Auto manufactures should make the top layer of hoods, roofs and trunk decks out of solar panels, or a skin on top of the original metal. Most people that have electric vehicles are within 20 miles of home. And with the right design, be able to regenerate that usage within those 8 hours. Toyota had a small roof unit to run their cooling fan so the AC wouldnt have to work so hard in summer time when people would first get into their Priuseseses...just do it on more body panels. Any surface will grab sunlight of some sorts each day.

[@DartSolar]

TOTALLY AGREE. this has to be done. And not just a puny 200 watt or 400 watt panel. But something serious, so people don’t have to change their cars from the grid for most commutes. You’re so right.

[@jedics1]

I assume your talking about the 6th photo in the gallery? SO you passed the wires underneath instead of on top. I think your idea is great and will appeal once you can make it look all neat and automated.

[@DartSolar]

Yeah, we flipped the copper strips to appear in the rear, and then we add our junction box there. Thank you!

[@AskIveSolar]

How do we get updates on this? Kidding lol

[@frontinonunes792]

Very nice! Congratulations man

[@DartSolar]

Thanks!

[@fparent]

I wonder how much wasted efficiency you get carrying that thing on your roof

[@larryphillips4164]

That’s why Elon didn’t add solar to the roofs of the Tesla vehicles. The pros don’t outweigh the cons with efficiencies and it looks like shit. I could see where having a skin of solar panels on the car is practical but not just a giant solar rack that expands. Most people drive 30 to 50 miles a day and go home therefore just charging your car at $00.08 cents per kWh everyday at your house is far more practical for the common person. I’m not knocking on this guys idea cuz any idea that can move society forward is much needed, I’m just saying this idea not practical for most people and probably a waste of money trying to market it.

[@TonyMiguel-ko7cz]

If someone showed you a beautiful woman youd complain about her toenails 😂

[@TonyMiguel-ko7cz]

@@larryphillips4164dumbest comment of the year award 😂

[@DartSolar]

That initial prototype is 13 inches tall, so there is an aerodynamic drag loss. The second prototype is only 5 inches tall, and the third one is only one inch tall. At this point, the aerodynamic drag loss is negligible if you include a windbreaker and a tail break.

[@lawnmowerdude]

No more than a roof mounted luggage bin.

[@brettsiciliano2037]

Need this for my cybertruck???

[@JohnEnergy2012]

Love this! DC2DC would be more ideal though... but comes with the obvious complications.

[@JohnEnergy2012]

I've already done DC2AC in my Van... the other way around is a different story.

[@DartSolar]

Yeah... DC2DC is challenging, but we're getting there!

[@GridConnections]

Would be cool if you could even plug in some of the ground mount camping solar panels as well when camping off grid.

[@DartSolar]

Love the idea!

[@FredHughes-b2t]

Since many cars are garage-parked during daylight hours, why not design a fixed version for roof mounting on structures?

[@DartSolar]

The whole purpose of this project is to be able to charge offgrade, for example, if you're in the desert or in the forest. If you had a home, you can just charge from your homes electrical grid

[@helmet098]

And it looks so good too

[@DartSolar]

Thank you!

[@prettyboyjesse]

Can't wait to see v2

[@DartSolar]

v2 and v3 are on dartsolar.com -- I just hadn't had time to record a video yet, but you can see them there

[@cuisinart7899]

For those interested in this, check out the GoSun version of it, it looks very nice, but downside is solar panels at different angles.

[@DartSolar]

That has many flaws. (1) The solar panels don't point to the sun. You lose 40% efficiency there. (2) Their power unit is on your roof, so the whole thing can get stone. (3) The power unit is no detachable... I would go through this list until I get to 20.

[@MechmanGetrieb]

Interesting Projekt keep on going please. I´ll watch out for progress.

[@DartSolar]

Thank you,!

[@matthewsciarrotta2118]

Place a portion of your expanding array under the glass roof, it will take weight off the expanding array on the roof, reduce drag, and block sun inside the cabin. It could also be functional without the exterior array if done properly with a 1kw storage unit so while driving you could tap in to the storage, and while parked the storage unit would account for peaks and valleys of the array production.

[@phillipcoetzer8186]

good idea . and if sturdy materials are used on top [slide forward and back] panels it can double up as roof rack... and generate half the power on the go if not roof racking anything. also easy to motorise with one motor

[@DartSolar]

Take a look at our latest version on dartsolar.com with blueprints -- placing the solar under the glass lowers the solar efficiency

[@danielbuckman2727]

I think it's a great idea. So obvious but no one else is doing it. could be a very large industry.

[@DartSolar]

thank you!

[@marcelofranca9454]

I believe it would be necessary to install super powerful inverters on a scale, a type of Tesla coil that could either supply part of the vehicle's energy or instant charging... 4000W is a large amount of energy...

[@DartSolar]

Not really the electrical components can fit in the trunk of the car, where the spare tire goes. That is below the flat floor of the trunk.

[@yogeshtyagi5390]

ALL THE BEST!!

[@DartSolar]

thank you!

[@TeamStevers]

Patenting a solar panel,on a car has already been done. I tried to do it in the 90’s just to operate a fan to flow cool air into a hot parked car but someone else, a major car company already holds the patent.

[@DartSolar]

True, I was commenting what other people have done with patents.

[@choiceblade]

Have you predicted or calculated alternative material science Abel to achieving this functionality at the building stage of the car?

[@DartSolar]

Sorry for the confusion, can you clarify what you mean. We're not building a car, this is an aftermarket product that adds solar charging to any electric vehicle.

[@RobK-x3x]

Great implementation. The integrated solar panels of Fiskar or Aptera make little sense as they don't have enough surface area, but a "deployable when parked" panel set that expands to the size of a parking spot and can generate 10x what Fiskar or Aptera generate does make sense. It's pretty ugly, but it's smart.

[@DartSolar]

We are just adding Beta3 on dartsolar.com which is only 1-inch high, incase you'd like to take a look. For this version we focused on sexiness.

[@petersilva037]

Great idea, great work so far, but this is a huge project, and I think it would need a lot of diverse skills to get to your full product vision. I think you should be thinking about minimum viable product. Your current frame mechanism, without any power for the actuators is probably good enough for a lot of people. There is a lot of development work to do for beta 2... it might be a better business plan to finish beta 1 as a low cost product and have manufacturing... basically just a specialized rack for use with solar inverters (I guess you have an ecoflow delta in the trunk? I think as a means of organizing storage of solar panels for manual static deployment, this is already a viable product with an addressible market. There are a lot of model y's out there (and small cars that can fit similar roof racks) Just selling a deployable rack, to plug into a bog standard inverter, is probably a good product. All the actuators you are planning for beta 2? they add cost and complexity, and aside from star trek value of watching the deployment, I don't think it provides any value to private car ownsers. I understand the value of the automated deployment for commercial applications, but likely not worth it for personal vehicles. I looked at the outputs available on an ecoflow delta 2, and highest output option is USB-C ... 100W without going through the inverter. Looked at Jackery and specs are similar... It's just the low voltage outputs limit are inherently limiting... hmm... looking at an ecoflow delta 2/pro where they have the DC side port for connecting up extra batteries. I imagine you could use that for some kind of DC-DC voltage up converter hooking into that. Otherwise you add a lot of cost to design implement your own specialized battery/solar/inverter box. A lot of work left to do...

[@DartSolar]

Wow, I love your explanations, very insightful! You're correct, we're going to open source and release the blueprints for the manual expansion mechanism. The electrical components that I am using right now are like the DeltaPro, the only difference is that it's meant for a 3 kW solar system. So it is less expensive. I'm also placing all the electronics in the extra space underneath the trunk of my Model Y. Most people need a manually actuated solution, because it's also less expensive and can break down less often. Your points are really well taken!

[@TonyMiguel-ko7cz]

This is a must for tesla owners

[@DartSolar]

You're totally right! It'll be cool to see if this becomes an aftermarket product for Tesla owners

[@s4060]

think about using bifacial flexible panels.......

[@DartSolar]

Yeah that's a great idea. We use flexible solar panels -- there are any bifacial flexible solar panels on the market yet that we have found

[@zheuscher]

Love the color of your Y, What is the color called?

[@DartSolar]

Its the dark gray one -- I just had it waxed for the video :)

[@Pelasgian-Illyrian-Of-Epirus]

Nice👍🏻 I like this creative work

[@DartSolar]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@hardwareful]

> cyclist collision Don't mount them such that they end up ad head height then. It can be made to hinge around the front edge, so when deployed, the front corners can be below head height and the rear ones above head height. Worst case you have to park in reverse to get the optimal array orientation. ps. i would be cool to maintain operation of a single panel at all times if that isn't the case already.

[@iqtidarbaig8532]

Can you please guide about collapsible frame drawings for 9 solar plates, each 730 w and 39 kg weight fitted on caravan for solar powered tube well. Will stainless steel or iron tubes frame be able to withstand panels weight. Video for such drawing will be verry helpful for farmers throughout the world. Thanks

[@DartSolar]

This week I am posting the blueprints on our website if you'd like to download and check them out. Go to dartsolar.com

[@tonydeveyra4611]

When the panels are deployed, can you still open the rear hatch of your model Y? I'm very interested in this setup being used in the context of off-grid car camping. A dream scenario would be if the solar power gain can partially or completely offset the power use of camp mode at night. I would love to contribute or help out in any way possible, my wife and I do a lot of car camping.

[@DartSolar]

Yes. You just have to not deploy the back solar panel. Off-grid camping is the EXACT reason I first wanted to create this. Were you the person that emailed us?

[@tonydeveyra4611]

@@DartSolar yes, I sent you guys an email last night

[@davidjin8147]

I like your idea, but I highly suggest you put the solar panel inside of the car's roof and blend it as a part of the hood and trunk lid. And

[@DartSolar]

Thanks! dartsolar.com has our latest update now. Placing the solar under the glass lowers their efficiency dramatically.

[@girthquake1413]

What's the way currently that you charge the vehicle off of this? Sounds like you invert the solar energy to AC and then use the Tesla destination charger to push it to the onboard inverter into DC, or you have it connected to a separate battery pack to charge the vehicle when it's filled. I knew of Leaf owners attempting similar that were doing the latter because the high voltage contactors could only realistically take 6-8 activation's per day. I always thought that Tesla should have been doing this more, regardless of actual utility, because the recent Prius showed that solar panels really help alleviate people's range anxiety about their cars. That POS Cybertruck could use it especially, the thing is literally just all hard angles.

[@DartSolar]

DC to Power Unit battery to Inverter to Tesla adapter to Tesla chargeport

[@jh1859]

Have you considered double sided panels? They are far off any surfaces as a rule so might be relevant.

[@DartSolar]

Love this idea! We need to have custom made panels that are bifacial

[@Aku6Soku1Zan]

Good work

[@DartSolar]

Thank you so much 😀

[@hgessner]

Wouldn't using CGIS panels with a rollup mechanism be good too? You would essentially only have a tube on top of the roof. Of course, much more expensive but with current tech development it could be viable in a few years.

[@DartSolar]

Yes, that is a great idea -- CIGS has a conversion of 17% though, and PERC TonCon flexible solar panels are more in the 20% to 22% range. But I love the idea of using CIGS one day

[@vuaeco]

Instead of putting it on the roof, use a hitch rack and put the panel behind your car. That will significantly reduce the drag.

[@DartSolar]

Yes, but the setup will be harder. Our latest model on dartsolar.com only takes 10 seconds to setup and the aerodynamic drag loss is 1% to 2%

[@marcelb.7224]

very cool idea

[@DartSolar]

Glad you think so!

[@Designitbuilditworkshop]

Mppt charger and a small lithium battery to work as a buffer. The vehicle charger has to be dc charger and it will pull from battery and solar

[@DartSolar]

Yep, that's the current set up. We have right now. We just have to up the voltage to 480 to do direct current charging to the car.

[@Whereswally606]

James @realsolarcars already built a dcdc to car his chevy volt from roofrack based panels. If you havent already spoken to him you maybe should. Another route might be sunsynk/deye inverters and the battery emulator project but btw doing this on a tesla is more tricky as they ota their software which can introduce incompatibilities with the emulator as can messages may change after updates that you have zero control over. But props to you for protyping your first model. I have an env200 nissan ev van (leaf in van clothing). Leafs are more hacked now so this should be easier. Just waiting for the cost of flexible panels in the uk to make more sense, especially if mods killing their resale value are required. Also low frequency inverters (read heavy) are kinder to the cars expensive chargers. Charging via an ecoflow or similar isnt as forgiving apparently.

[@DartSolar]

Yeah, the real solar cars guy is excitingly intelligent! The DC to DC charging solution that I'm looking at does not involve hacking the batteries, because then it would avoid the warranty of the car. We're going to release blueprints and instructions on our website if you'd like to register to be able to, replicate one for yourself. Sorry, the price of flexible solar panels in the UK are so expensive. Have you considered a purchasing them directly from China or India?

[@CarlitoswayDR]

I would probably like more the idea of something you can carry in the trunk and assemble it when needed like camping or open area on the floor and plug to the car instead. It’s risky to have that on the glass I think.

[@DartSolar]

This makes sense, I want a solution so that I can drive to work park under the sun, walk away and have the solar array automatically expand. Without me lifting a finger.

[@CarlitoswayDR]

@@DartSolar you have a point if you need to leave car unattended for a while yes, but it cost too much money still. Solar solutions causes up to 10 times more than a simple Home Depot generator lol

[@gregslabaugh7565]

I wonder if a solar panel that rolls and unrolls like on the space station is feasible? Perhaps cost prohibitive? But if it’s possible, could make for a very minimal frame

[@DartSolar]

Sure that is visible. You can use what's called a CIGS solar panel, CIGS. They have lower efficiency, but they can roll.

[@JeremyNoelJohnson]

Very cool - what were the costs to get everything needed?

[@DartSolar]

Between $2k to $4k -- we're still putting together the least expensive way to put this together

[@jeffsteinmetz7188]

Could you get the weight and size to a place it will fit in the back of the vehicle or in the frunk? This way you only have the additional Tesla rack drag and not the unit drag wile traveling (20% is significant).

[@DartSolar]

Our latest blueprint on dartsolar.com only has a 1% to 2% aerodynamic drag loss

[@poerava]

Thank you for sharing this I was hanging out the whole video to see the set up close up..sad 😢 Just heard you speak and not showing what it looks like close up.

[@DartSolar]

Sorry about that! You can see more content on dartsolar.com - - in the next video I'll put more close-ups. We are also releasing the blueprint to the second prototype on the website, on this video you can only see the first prototype. So by downloading the 3D .step file, you can see all the measurements and details. Did you have a particular element you wanted me to focus on?

[@choiceblade]

How much weight can you move to the interior ceiling?

[@DartSolar]

Sorry for the confusion, what do you mean by the interior ceiling?

[@jasonw8497]

Please explain *how* you got the power into your car without inverters?

[@DartSolar]

The solar power goes into an M PPT that's connected to a battery, 48 V battery. That is then connected to an inverter. The universal charger connected to inverter. I'm currently researching how can I direct the power from the solar panels into the EV as DC.

[@abelincoln3261]

For those that may find my rooftop solar build helpful.. First off I don't drive on the highway at 70 mph often but have.. okay that said, I mounted two 100 watt flat mono solar panels on my Ford E150 Explorer Conversion Custom Camper van... I used an aluminum frame adjustable rack , 2 panel on separate racks one front o other front to back... panels can be raised in two directions front to back and vise versa ... okay I did not use one single screw.. they are attached to my roof.. using 3M double sided heavy duty mounting tape. I simply cleaned the surfaces well and applied during a nice dry arm summer day.. let se for about two days then completed project by placing panels on racks.. I did this 4 years ago,.. those racks / panels are like part of the steek roof. I drive it in all weather at an average speed of 45 to 65 .. mph .. I live 12 miles outside of town.. I run a fridge TV PCs stereo gear charge phones flash lights etc.. have an onboard AC unit as well but do not rub my AC off batteries ... could but I only have 300 amp hours s... anyway my point is you can mount a nice solar setup and not drill and do it safely no problem...

[@DartSolar]

This is awesome! Do you have an Instagram or photos you can share?

[@fredio54]

What are the details of the 440W panel that weighs that little? I'm interested! And the beta 1 panels? I have a smaller application too.

[@DartSolar]

All flexible solar panels weight about that range. Search for "440 watt flexible solar panel", you can also find the 200 watt or 175 watt Renogy flexible, or I think even SunPower makes them

[@fredio54]

@@DartSolar Oh, I see. But I thought flexible panels had poor longevity compared to glass ones? More degradation over time? Let me self check that before hitting reply... Yeah, and also lower efficiency ie more size per same output. I suppose you balanced all these factors to get the best compromise. As you were.

[@Highlander1432]

I have a feeling this or something similar will cause a fire

[@DartSolar]

Maybe!

[@humbledcomposer]

Why dont you upgrade the system to use 600w panels? They are the same size.

[@johnreeves7261]

I'm afraid there are no "same size" panels that are even close to 600 watts (rated). DartSolar, in this video, is using 175 watt (rated) Renogy Flex panels and they are 1.504 meters by 0.673 meters in size. That calculates out to 17.3% panel efficiency. Doing the same calculation with your supposed 600 watt (rated) panels of "the same size" would suggest a panel efficiency of 59.3%.

[@DartSolar]

The issue to also consider is that the solo panels would break. So it's better to use smaller solar panels so that it's easier and less expensive to replace them in the event of an accident for example, a big piece of rock destroys a portion of a solar panel

[@vulcan4d]

Very clever. Streamline it, make it light weight and voila you got a very sellable product.

[@chabiervicente7716]

Genial proyecto. Precisamente yo estoy desarrollando algo parecido. Pero mi idea es hacerlo con paneles enrollables. En un rollo guardado en el maletero. El problema que veo es con la carga en DC. Pero si fuera posible igualar los voltajes de campo solar y bateria (360v) conectandolos en serie seria lo ideal.

[@DartSolar]

Busca "Offgrid or die" y la solution que el tiene. Tambien busca en Google el indiegogo de "EV Solar Kits"

[@polarbearigloo]

The inverters exist they are European inverters with batteries up to 800v for the battery. They use them for residential purposes. I was looking into direct contact to the batteries and that is the thing I stumbled crossed.

[@DartSolar]

Yes, but I need the inverter to fit in the back of my car ideally below the flat area of the trunk

[@Patriot3]

I spent the day at 85f direct sun sleeping in my Y. Ac on low for hours. Barely used any power. Lol

[@peterwundersitz3715]

Does any one watch/follow the Darwin to Adelaide solar challenge? Some great cars and brilliant people. A 2000 mile race.

[@armydog24]

put the solar panels on the car body panels

[@DartSolar]

Love the idea!. The issue is that replacing a broken solar cell will be extremely hard, and if a cell breaks, it destroys the entire series. Embedded solar panels are super delicate and hard to fix. But if you're into that, check out the Aptera

[@bige8549]

The range would be impacted also by the weight of the components. Why not add lightweight flexible solar panels that fold out over the entire vehicle, so that it gets sun wherever it is? Altenatively, why not have the solar fixture be removable and then be put into the trunk when not in use? You might want to have a lock on the solar fixture while it is out so no one can steal it.

[@DartSolar]

The weight of the solar panels don't really affect the range of the car. It's negligible, but really affects the range is the aerodynamic drag loss in the prototype of this video. The height of the prototype in this video is 13 inches high. The new second prototype was only 5 inches high, and the third prototype is only 1 inch high. So now, the aerodynamic drag loss is incredibly low, almost negligible.

[@jonforeman7731]

at 15:07 you show an image of a video and say he was helpful, but I have no idea who he is or what video it is.

[@DartSolar]

His thumbnail appears in the upper left-hand corner. He's a very experienced KZbin creator that talks about the electrical components in an electric vehicle. Just KZbin search for the title of that thumbnail in YT and you'll find the video.

[@jonforeman7731]

​@@DartSolarIt's literally just a picture of a thumbnail no creator name, no title, no description besides "he was very helpful at understanding the charger"

[@DartSolar]

@@jonforeman7731 I apologize. This is not a company building the prototype -- it's just me. If I had more time with video editing I might have listed everything. But honestly a quick search will take you to his videos.

[@jonforeman7731]

@@DartSolar I get that it's just you and I love what you're working towards. That said I've searched a lot on multiple occasions and haven't found it hence why I asked... But I guess I'll just use what I have

[@egn83b]

Looks like an easy project based on abilities of average joes. The dc to dc is pretty easy to impliment by using inverters and basic recifiers and capacitor bank for smoothing. The hard part is tapping into the 400v bus on the car without tesla system voiding your cars warrenty and sacaficing super charging access on there system. The only way this product makes useful for everyone involved is using a solar generator is as far as this will go on the consumer level without warrenties being voided. A small solar array wont make 400v without up converting the voltage as a small loss in milage.

[@DartSolar]

This is incredible! Can you point me to the DC to DC charging set up that you're speaking about. An easy solution would be to still use the universal charge adapter on the external charge port but charge the car with DC power.

[@juliapigworthy]

EVs could have at least a small integrated roof panel to gain a few bonus miles a day.. for many people they'd only need that daylight charge for much of their local driving, leaving fast charging and home charging for longer distance trips. Even a miniscule one could help to just maintain a minimum state of charge in a car sat unused for weeks on end rather than letting a battery drain down until it's flat.

[@jaoliver999]

The returns vs the cost really isn’t worth it for most vehicles or manufacturers sadly. Electricity is cheap, an average of $0.22 per kWh and solar integration would thousands for an OEM to design and implement and create as an option for the end user. Aptera is going to attempt it with their vehicle as they’re making an extremely ultra efficient 3 wheeled EV, but some think it’s vaporware. I’m interested in an aftermarket system once could move from vehicle to vehicle, like via a roof rack, as I’ve owned 5 EVs over the years. I feel like something like that could take off, but then it would still costs a couple thousands, and I can buy a lot of kWh with a couple thousand…

[@DartSolar]

Payback time is about 2-3 years

[@Pimpamfiredx]

Estoy de acuerdo, y no solo para ganar unos kilómetros adicionales. También para que no gaste tanta batería en reposo, o modo centinela en el caso de Tesla, por ejemplo. Yo sería un usuario que pagaría más, por tener ese extra en el vehículo y de paso se elimina el techo de cristal, que en verano es engorroso.

[@phillipcoetzer8186]

shape the panels like pizza slices ... point sharp side forward for aerodynamics motorise the slices so the open like you do a deck of cards in your hand .. you can fit two circles over the roof you may loose a bit of surface area but get better aerodynamics in return and easy mechanised deployment.

[@DartSolar]

They issue with the pizza expander model, or the flower model, is that you can select which area of the car do you expand the solar array. With the existing design if your car has space in the front, but not in the back you can choose to expand the solar panels that are only in the front of the car.

[@Deltaris1]

I have solar panels on the roof of my home without a battery. Do you have instructions or can point me in the right direction on how to charge my car directly from the panels if the grid were to ever go down?

[@DartSolar]

You can get an EcoFlow Delta Pro - then charge with AC. Or you can get a DC charge. How many watts of solar do you have?

[@Deltaris1]

I have a 11 kw system. I thought that if their grid were to go down, my solar panels would stop collecting energy. That’s what I had previously heard.

[@DartSolar]

The power units on the market mostly allow 4kw of solar to connect to it, which gives you about 40 miles per day if you charge with AC. So you can get a power unit just to be doomsday ready. But you’re right, the solar witll stop providing power to the grid when the lights go out. That said, the solar will continue working - you can re-route 4kw to a power unit and charge your car until the sun implodes billions of years later :)

[@DartSolar]

The power units on the market mostly allow 4kw of solar to connect to it, which gives you about 40 miles per day if you charge with AC. So you can get a power unit just to be doomsday ready. But you’re right, the solar witll stop providing power to the grid when the lights go out. That said, the solar will continue working - you can re-route 4kw to a power unit and charge your car until the sun implodes billions of years later :)

[@roccosperanza]

You might mention how many miles of range you loose having this on your roof. It'll take you all day of charging JUST to recovery the lost energy by having it on your roof.

[@DartSolar]

The new model on dartsolar.com has 1% to 2% aerodynamic drag loss

[@ANDYANDREWPro]

I have had the same idea. I figured a trailer with an expanding solar panel that extends over the car. The roof idea is good, but you can get more panels mounted to a trailer. And the trailer would be more aerodynamic behind a car. DC-DC charging offers a challenge without a pass-through DC battery or a modified EV. But that would be far more efficient if you could achieve this.

[@yunaferro4836]

Why not have a trailer carrying a generator 😂

[@DartSolar]

Yes, I have a past battery in my system. Ideally I'd like to be able to park at work leave my car. I have the solar array, automatically, expand and contract, so it will be actuated. I don't wanna drive with a trailer the entire day.

[@VedaSay]

Invention! freaking what are we talking exactly here.

[@DartSolar]

Thank you!

[@MikeTrieu]

So Beta 3 is going to have lower power output than Beta 2? Your design doesn't exist in a vacuum. GoSun has a similar product and already does 1200W@80-120VDC. You'll simply have to do better if you want to compete.

[@DartSolar]

Yes, but their solar panels don’t event point to the sun. Their product is not wind proof, it’s all going to flip and flop endlessly. The expansion cannot be automated or actuated. And the list goes on. Most people it seems only need 1kw of solar instead of 2kw or 4kw.

[@Snerdles]

Wait, did you say a 20% loss for having this mounted? So if you had a 300 mile range you now have a somewhere around a 240 mile range but you can gain 30 miles if you let it sit perfectly in the sun for 5 hours? So then you walk away with 270 miles instead of your original 300? The maths aint mathing here.

[@DartSolar]

So that prototype in particular was 13 inches high. The second prototype is 5 inches high, and our last prototype is one-inch high -- so now the aerodynamic drag loss is negligible.

[@TKLMotoVlog]

This is feasible if there is sun. A big challenge for any solar panel. There more options for wind power. Think about it, a car in motion is driving over air, thus moving air around and through the car. Can anyone build a wind power generator aparatus right where the front air duct/grill is located? Imagine the range it can regenerated similar to a car coming to a stop or down hill with regenerative braking. Here, you drive,wind blows through that duct and spinning a wind turbine of sort for wind power... not patent yet!

[@DartSolar]

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or serious

[@MikeTrieu]

What an aerodynamic nightmare! 😂

[@TKLMotoVlog]

@@MikeTrieu 🤣

[@DartSolar]

@@MikeTrieu Yes, but Beta2 only creates a 10% drag loss, Beta3 only creates a 3% drag loss -- which is exactly the same drag loss as the Tesla Roof rack