GoSun solar charging

[MountainAlive]

Apologies if this was already discussed here. I searched the forum and didn’t see anything. Does anyone know more about this product? It’s the equivalent of a level 1 charger but directly from solar panels you carry atop the vehicle. Obviously the Lightning could carry this easily.
https://gosun.co/products/ev-solar-charger-deposit

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[TaxmanHog]

First I've heard about it, looks like no one has them except maybe to beta testers.

A lightning driven efficiently at 2.4 MPK might get 15 miles extra range per five hour solar peak charging

 

[hturnerfamily]

like any solar array that's ever been discussed for EVs, this is very unsightly, but if you can get past that, it's also a hazard for easy theft... I'm not even sure 'how' you plug your 120v EVSE into this thing, other than there must be some type of INVERTER connected, maybe that sits in the vehicle.
One thing that you ALWAYS have to be aware of: if your EVSE unit has to have at least 8-10 amps of 120v power to operate, the shade/clouds/buildings are going to impact this very negatively - as 'full sun' is not always available, for the MANY HOURS this would need to make ANY meaningful impact for EV charging.

WOW! What a price! oh my ; /

 

[Pioneer74]

like any solar array that's ever been discussed for EVs, this is very unsightly, but if you can get past that, it's also a hazard for easy theft... I'm not even sure 'how' you plug your 120v EVSE into this thing, other than there must be some type of INVERTER connected, maybe that sits in the vehicle.
One thing that you ALWAYS have to be aware of: if your EVSE unit has to have at least 8-10 amps of 120v power to operate, the shade/clouds/buildings are going to impact this very negatively - as 'full sun' is not always available, for the MANY HOURS this would need to make ANY meaningful impact for EV charging.

WOW! What a price! oh my ; /

It has a battery. I'm assuming you charge the battery, then use that to charge the vehicle. Very inefficient. Very expensive.

 

[TaxmanHog]

It has a battery. I'm assuming you charge the battery, then use that to charge the vehicle. Very inefficient. Very expensive.

The web site details that there is a battery in the system to buffer intermittency of production, the inverter & battery are in the roof mounted turtle shell, along with a NACS or J1772 cable to feed the vehicle charge port L1 110v x 15a service.

 

[I <3 My Lightning]

Wow. It costs like 3k. Some idiot walking by picking up the end and slapping it around on top of your vehicle will cause more than 3k in damages to your paint. You set it open, a storm rolls in and you forgot you have it open. Burst of wind over 30 mph smacks it against the car and causes more than 3k in damages. Worse the wind takes it off your car and damages something not owned by you....

$3k at ~50 cents a kw DC fast charging is 6000 kw and at 2 miles per kw average is 12k miles. Considering I drive about 4 k miles a year for work that's 3 years worth of driving at ridiculous DC charging rates.

For 3k I can buy a good sized portable solar generator system/battery back up with portable solar panels like the systems from Anker or ecoflow, ECT.

 

[Mach Turtle]

One wonders if the device can produce enough power to recover the range lost to drag by putting a large object, plus the rack to hold it, on top of the roof? Presumably under some conditions it can, but not likely during a freeway road trip. Has anyone traveled with, say, a Model 3 that has a roof carrier, who can quantify the impact on range?

One of these on a Lightning's tonneau cover would have much less effect on range.

Might be best for people who like to sleep during the day and drive at night.

Also wondering how the panels fold in the van image. There seems to be a strut right where the panels ought to go when retracted. Is this really a well thought out design that's anywhere near production status?

 

[MountainAlive]

Wow. It costs like 3k. Some idiot walking by picking up the end and slapping it around on top of your vehicle will cause more than 3k in damages to your paint. You set it open, a storm rolls in and you forgot you have it open. Burst of wind over 30 mph smacks it against the car and causes more than 3k in damages. Worse the wind takes it off your car and damages something not owned by you....

$3k at ~50 cents a kw DC fast charging is 6000 kw and at 2 miles per kw average is 12k miles. Considering I drive about 4 k miles a year for work that's 3 years worth of driving at ridiculous DC charging rates.

For 3k I can buy a good sized portable solar generator system/battery back up with portable solar panels like the systems from Anker or ecoflow, ECT.

I agree that the portable solar generator with panels from Anker or Ecoflow is probably better. A bit more expensive still but would provide a little more power for truly off grid vehicle charging. In 2-3 days of sunlight you could probably charge the Lightning 50% or more.

 

[hturnerfamily]

even if you could possibly pull the full 10amps of 120v power per hour, on a typical DAY of full sunshine, the WHOLE day, you'd only be adding possibly up to 1-2 miles of range.

seems like a VERY expensive way to do anything reasonable.

 

[TaxmanHog]

even if you could possibly pull the full 10amps of 120v power per hour, on a typical DAY of full sunshine, the WHOLE day, you'd only be adding possibly up to 1-2 miles of range.

110v*11a*6h = 7260 or 7.26 KWH
7.26 kwh * 2.4 mpk = 17.42 miles

 

[Moleculefinder]

'23 Lariat

Reviving this! these are starting to ship.

I'm looking for suggestions on racks for this solar charger. have a tonneau cover but willing to replace it if needed. Big problem is I don't want to do roof rack or increase the vehicle's overall height.

 

[Zprime29]

'23 Lariat

Reviving this! these are starting to ship.

I'm looking for suggestions on racks for this solar charger. have a tonneau cover but willing to replace it if needed. Big problem is I don't want to do roof rack or increase the vehicle's overall height.

Looks like it's designed to expand out in 2 directions, so not sure over the bed is the best place for it. Depending on how you plan to use it anyways. Is this for camping, day to day use, or something else?

 

[Grumpy2]

This looks to be a poorly designed use of solar panels. Each panel must face the sun to even approach the advertised power. Assuming you put a semi-permanent frame in the truck bed, it will need adjustments to rotate as the sun moves, and provide linkage such that each panel can be adjusted individually to be 90 degrees with the sun's rays. Even with all this, you will only achieve enough power to charge two or three 12 volt 100 amp-hr batteries. Not the Lightning.

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