Someday, we’ll have cars with solar roofs that actually capture enough energy to be practical.
Tesla owner and popular YouTube influencer ItsYeBoi just bought a $2,500 solar trailer to charge his Tesla Model 3. We previously shared a video of this guy shooting a real gun at his Model 3 with its special bulletproof windows.
The solar trailer really does work and will charge the car in about 40 hours. While his title says he bought the solar trailer, that’s not exactly the case. Instead, he bought the panels and put the system and trailer together himself.
It’s cool that this works, but there are plenty of reasons it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, it does allow us to paint a picture of what could be in store for the future.
Pulling a solar trailer or having solar panels on your car could make it so you could travel nonstop, since the car would be charging as you drive. You wouldn’t have to visit a charging station, but you would have to use the bathroom.
In theory, and when solar technology catches up, this could work as planned. However, when you pull a heavy trailer, your car is less efficient. You are going to have less range.
The solar panels can charge the car in about 40 hours (in the best conditions), but they’re not going to charge the car as quickly as you use the range. So, you may be able to travel a bit further with the help of the solar trailer, but probably not much. In fact, depending on the car’s range loss due to the weight, you might actually have to stop to charge more often.
Check out the video for all the details. Then, provide us with your wisdom in the comment section below. If someone feels so inclined and is really into this stuff, feel free to do the napkin math to prove how well this situation may (or may not) work out.
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