Homey got new-pillow money, over here…
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I’ve gotten as much as 4, but 700w of panels can vary… shade and heat play a big part in it. I also wasn’t super vigilant of putting up my portable panel, unless I knew I needed the power. When it was up, I generally got about 2.5, but it performed better when I was in places like the Mojave desert and the sun was completely unobstructed all day.
I also charged at a lot of level 2 chargers across the country, that are usually free, and could put power back on the 2kwhr pack from the cigarette lighter outlet in the car, so I generally stayed topped off before the sun even started shining. That’s why I didn’t always use the panels. Not necessarily something to plan into a daily routine if you aren’t traveling. It was a trade-off from having a level 2 chargers at my house.
So… my 2kwhr battery provides about 6 miles of range.
You can use solar to get a little bit of mileage, but you aren’t talking much more than 20-25 miles a day under optimal conditions.
I’m not saying that putting solar panels and a battery/inverter/charge controller isn’t worth it, but it’s not good enough for most people to use to power travel. It would take a lot of charging to offset the purchase cost. I think I generally spend about $10-20 a month on electricity when I’m not traveling and charging at home and my setup cost around $1200 and an afternoon of install. The only reason it was a good solution for me was that I was working remotely and traveling all across the country. I spent most of my time in national or state parks, so I was stationary for 4-7 days at a time and it powered all of computer and cooking electronics.
It depends on where you are and what the sunshine is like. I was in a place that got 9-10 hours of good sunlight and had clear days, so I was able to get 3 full charges and most of a 4th, but I can usually get 2 full charges on a clear day in most places I’ve been. My 700watts of panels were getting over 5-600w of hourly production for a good 4 hours.
If you charge your car off of it, the car can take the full battery in about 2 hours. Set the charge rate on the lowest setting and trickle charge off the solar.
You could scale up solar panels, if it’s worth the hassle to setup and break down portable panels, but there isn’t enough real estate on the vehicle to get much more wattage . I have 250w mounted on the top of the car and a fold-out 450w panel that I put across my hood and windshield.
Oh… and I have an wcoflow delta 2 battery… the inverter is built into it and I can charge and discharge at the same time.
I’ve done this… I had 700w of solar panels on my car, that fed a 2kwhr portable battery, that fed the car charger. It’s only bought to get 15-20 mile/day, but it’s something.
I used it when I was cross-country traveling and was off-grid camping. It was mainly way I could get back to civilization after a week out in the middle of nowhere. Also made enough power to run my air fryer and computer/starlink setup.
On the plus side, if you do have a wood fire stove, the whole house can help you with your bonfire project aspirations. /s
Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?
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Pay for two mobility solutions when you only need one… and, as a negative bonus, you’re still reliant on paying for oil and gas.