Solar panels are cheap with such a low square footage of a cars roof.
I like the idea of solar roofs even with it not charging much. However, I don't think I'd want one because I like the glass roof and being able to see through it better.
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Solar roof on Model 3?
- Thread starter eevee-fan
- Start date
Solar panels are cheap with such a low square footage of a cars roof.
I like the idea of solar roofs even with it not charging much. However, I don't think I'd want one because I like the glass roof and being able to see through it better.
Garlan Garner
Banned
$.01 is too much.
It will detriment Tesla in repair costs. You don't ADD something to a car like a Tesla that only helps it out .000000001% over the lifetime of the car and then warranty it. Its a losing proposition.
Kilotango74
Active Member
Prius had a solar roof option. It powered a small fan to vent your cabin. Lol.
Transparent solar panels are being developed, so this could happen sometime in the future..
Vaillant
Member
People pay big money for upgraded stereos, leather interiors, all sorts of options. On my 3 I paid extra for red paint! What’s the payback period for red paint? I’ll tell you what it is: ♾
So, when someone says it isn’t as efficient to have solar on the roof of the car compared to the roof of your house and your payback period would take forever, I say: who cares? Not everything we do is based on spending our money in the absolute most efficient manner.
If the Model 3 had a solar roof option that generated enough electricity per day to counteract the vampire drain from Sentry Mode and battery conditioning and it cost $1,000, I’d gladly pay that. Not losing range while the car sits is effectively gaining range when you are away from a charger.
So, when someone says it isn’t as efficient to have solar on the roof of the car compared to the roof of your house and your payback period would take forever, I say: who cares? Not everything we do is based on spending our money in the absolute most efficient manner.
If the Model 3 had a solar roof option that generated enough electricity per day to counteract the vampire drain from Sentry Mode and battery conditioning and it cost $1,000, I’d gladly pay that. Not losing range while the car sits is effectively gaining range when you are away from a charger.
Garlan Garner
Banned
People choose the options that the manufacturer provides.
Are you proposing to spend your money for a Tesla solar car roof for the purpose of being efficient? Or do you just like how it looks?
There is less energy used for Sentry Mode than your body loses during sleep.
Anywhoo….it was -13F here in Chicago a few months ago ( sentry on ). I lost a total of 13 miles a day due to the cold. Losing 13 miles from a total 325 is negligible in my book.
Now its around 31F here in Chicago I lose 4 miles a day due to the cold ( sentry on ) . I would NOT pay $1000 per day to get back >1 mile a day that a solar paneled roof would generate.
Now try and think about it from Tesla's standpoint. What advantage would it be for them? Would providing a solar roof on their cars sell anymore?
Where there more Prius' sold because of the solar roof? I'm not seeing very many prius' on the road here in Chicago and Toyota has been selling those things for at least a decade.
Jim R
Member
It seems very attractive good idea until you do the math.
The public as a whole doesn't do the math, (has no idea how much power it takes to propel a car) so it works as an attractant for sales.
The public as a whole doesn't do the math, (has no idea how much power it takes to propel a car) so it works as an attractant for sales.
Garlan Garner
Banned
Thanks for being quick and to the point. You hit the nail on the head with that one.
roblab
Active Member
I have 68 solar panels, and get about 11 kwh from them. They MIGHT be able to fill my car in a day if it's sunny, no clouds. But there are so many variables with car-mounted solar panels, ie. facing the sun, parking in shade or garage, etc., that it's just not worth it when you figure the car gets over 300 miles on a charge.
Parking for two weeks cannot drain the battery. Driving a couple hundred miles and parking two weeks might get it down, if you leave the AC on to cool the cabin and wake the car up several times a day to check on its state of charge.
People have not yet learned that Teslas are not Chevys, nor have they yet learned the differences in abilities and functions. Personally, I have never had my cars run out of charge. Ever. But anyone can run out of charge if they don't think and don't plan.
Parking for two weeks cannot drain the battery. Driving a couple hundred miles and parking two weeks might get it down, if you leave the AC on to cool the cabin and wake the car up several times a day to check on its state of charge.
People have not yet learned that Teslas are not Chevys, nor have they yet learned the differences in abilities and functions. Personally, I have never had my cars run out of charge. Ever. But anyone can run out of charge if they don't think and don't plan.
Garlan Garner
Banned
I agree 100%.
I believe science is surpassing the average folks concerning energy consumption and delivery.
As it has been stated.....it takes a massive amount of energy to charge a Tesla Model 3.
Adding a solar panel to a Model 3 is like trying to feed an elephant with 1/4 of a peanut.
It just aint worth the effort to design a way to get that done.
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Garlan Garner
Banned
No. Some people will think it's worth it and some won't. It depends on the person. I agree with the guy that posted about vampire drain though. I'd be happy if it did that.. As little as that is. (and also if the glass was transparent so it didn't block my roof views. I'm sure I'm in the minority.
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Based on today's solar cell tech, a surface the size of the car roof could harness maybe 130W. Assuming you get full sunlight exposure 10 hours a day, that's still not enough to counteract Sentry drain.
If the argument that people occasionally make is that it's okay for Tesla to save 1 dollar * cars on removing interior lights and frunk hooks, the cost of putting in a solar roof would really be unjustifiable
Garlan Garner
Banned
But there is absolutely no way that a solar panel can cover vampire drain completely.
That doesn't depend on the person.
Garlan Garner
Banned
Let me ask everyone a question:
How many watts do you think a Solar Panel puts out?
Now....how many watts do you think is used in vampire drain?
Why have so many people come to the conclusion that a single ( flat to the sky ) panel WILL fully compensate for vampire drain?
How many watts do you think a Solar Panel puts out?
Now....how many watts do you think is used in vampire drain?
Why have so many people come to the conclusion that a single ( flat to the sky ) panel WILL fully compensate for vampire drain?
Napkin math 100-150w or so. That's like a beefy computer at mid load. Which is not surprising.
Garlan Garner
Banned
100w would be more than generous for a model 3 roof size.
So 100w/H would yield you .25 miles per day ( 24 hours ) Now if we are generous.....we have to cut that down by at least a half due to the fact that the sun doesn't shine all day.
That would be .13 miles per full sunshine day if you could put your car on a lazy Susan tilted at 22 degrees to track the sun.
So....absolutely best case scenario....you would get about .13 miles per day with a Tesla solar roof.
again...its like 1/4 of a peanut to an elephant.
Oh 150w isn't much. Any idea the dimensions of the roof? I'm roughly estimating I could fit 4 goal zero 100w panels in the surface area. Which actually is really good and way above vampire drain. I'd have to know the exact dimensions to give a better estimate. And yes it's assuming perfect conditions which is what everyone assumes when talking about solar.
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