Solar bed cover panel ?

[WV Slateman]

Maybe you need something more like this.

The scale of the panels is wrong, but that's roughly what my carport will look like. It will run the truck and supply over half of my household usage.

 

[sodamo]

The Slate one doesn't charge the Slate battery ?

Aptera supposedly has the technology, Telo rumored to have licensed, but nope, not Slate

 

[Frozen North]

Aptera supposedly has the technology, Telo rumored to have licensed, but nope, not Slate

This leaves them something to do after they get the trucks out the door.😃

 

[sodamo]

This leaves them something to do after they get the trucks out the door.😃

Early on I was excited about the prospect. After serious consideration, decided to add another 8kw pv to my home system as more beneficial

 

[Ruff]

DISCLAIMER: I am usually wrong about everything.

Looks like the VOC (open circuit voltage) is 50-60 Volts for each panel. For our thought experiment lets use the higher 60 Volts. The isc (current) is 5-8.5 amps. Again lets use the higher number.

If you multiply 60 Volts times 8.5 amps it is 510 watts for each hour of optimum sunlight. Depending on your latitude that will be somewhere between 4-7 hours. Lets again us the higher number of 7 hours. The best you can expect from these panels is 510 Watts times 7 hours or 3,570 watts a day. So we are way over the number given on the solar panel web sites which says a 4-5 foot bed should expect up to 300 Watts, so 300 Watts times 7 hours is 2,100 Watts.

The Slate web site says the battery is 63,000 watts and has a range of 205 miles.

Slate says the level 1 (120 volt 15 amp or 1,800 watts ) charger will charge at a rate of 2-5 miles per hour and an overnight charge will add 20-50 miles. (10% - 24%)

Our experiment will give us, at best 10 miles or a 5% charge. (.8% or 3.9 mile per hour)

The solar panel web site numbers would give us at best 6 miles or a 3% charge. (.04% or 2.3 miles per hour)

My experience with home solar off grid power is to expect about 80% of what you think you will get. So you can reasonably expect about 1-1.5 miles per hour with these panels and portable solar generator.

Not trying to convince you not to get them, just trying to give you some expectation of what it will do.

 

[kvermeer]

DISCLAIMER: I am usually wrong about everything.

Looks like the VOC (open circuit voltage) is 50-60 Volts for each panel. For our thought experiment lets use the higher 60 Volts. The isc (current) is 5-8.5 amps. Again lets use the higher number.

If you multiply 60 Volts times 8.5 amps it is 510 watts for each hour of optimum sunlight.

Short circuit current and open circuit voltage cannot happen at the same time. At short circuit, the voltage is zero, at open circuit, the current is zero. If you're close to open circuit and draw more current, the voltage goes down, if you ease up off the short circuit condition voltage goes back up. It's nonlinear, and it varies with panel temp and solar intensity.

All decent solar DC-DC charge converters implement a function called Maximum Power Point Tracking that finds the point at which these multiply to the largest number of watts, and gives you that at whatever voltage your battery array needs to charge at.

Look up the panel rating and use that wattage.

 

[Ruff]

Short circuit current and open circuit voltage cannot happen at the same time. At short circuit, the voltage is zero, at open circuit, the current is zero. If you're close to open circuit and draw more current, the voltage goes down, if you ease up off the short circuit condition voltage goes back up. It's nonlinear, and it varies with panel temp and solar intensity.

All decent solar DC-DC charge converters implement a function called Maximum Power Point Tracking that finds the point at which these multiply to the largest number of watts, and gives you that at whatever voltage your battery array needs to charge at.

Look up the panel rating and use that wattage.

Yes, you are correct. I have. Seen what you are talking about in real time. Ihave 19,000 watts of panels, 24,000 watts worth of inverters and 114 kWh of batteries to runy house. I have watched my panels peak to 388 volts just as the sun comes up just before the coffee maker kicks on, draws them down to 340 ish volts DC the current draw goes up as the. heating element starts making coffee


I was trying to illustrate that there may be better ways to charge your Slate than with the solar panels that were being discussed

 

[EV Trek]

Install a folding wind turbine in the bed that can be raised when parked. It could be mounted to the Roll Bar mounting points.

 

[EVmodeler]

Aw, come on - raise it while driving. The faster you go, the higher the charge rate! But the alternator on the wheel is easier. Or, just drive down hill.
(Kidding of course).

 

[EV Trek]

Aw, come on - raise it while driving. The faster you go, the higher the charge rate! But the alternator on the wheel is easier. Or, just drive down hill.
(Kidding of course).

I don’t know if you are old enough to remember but back in the 60’s they a generator that laid against the wheel of your bicycle to generate electricity to power a headlight.
oh wow Walmart still sells them LOL. I guess some things are timeless.

 

[tubes]

I don’t know if you are old enough to remember but back in the 60’s they a generator that laid against the wheel of your bicycle to generate electricity to power a headlight.
oh wow Walmart still sells them LOL. I guess some things are timeless.

It was my favorite bike gadget. And you could feel the drag!

 

[kvermeer]

It was my favorite bike gadget. And you could feel the drag!

Modern hub dynos are amazing. I bike commute and have to recharge my lithium-ion headlight and taillight weekly in summer or every day or two in winter, which isn't too onerous, but a buddy showed me his SON hub dynos this summer and it's incredible. It's only a couple watts, you cannot feel the resistance at all. Highly recommended. Old bottle dynos rubbing on the wheel were neat but suck in comparison.