Solar tonneau cover !

[Cbowe]

Today on the Turn Down for Watt Podcast, we talk with Steven Rossi, CEO of Worksport about their new Solis + COR platform, which brings real, usable solar power to your truck. This isn’t hype, it’s real engineering, manufacturing, and innovation happening here in the USA, creating new capabilities for Ford

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[Runaway Tractor]

Clickbait junk. They did not magically create some new solar technology that the rest of the world doesn't know about. Solar panels on a tonneau cover are a glorified cell phone charger. The scale of solar power required to provide meaningful power to the vehicle battery would require you to a house behind you.

 

[chriserx]

Solar power is generally limited to 1kw per square meter because that's the average level of irradiance on earth. A short bed tonneau is roughly 1.7 meters squared, so the theoretical maximum output is 1700W. Now you factor in efficiencies, like the cell itself (18-25%, or even optimistic research labs of 35% to nearly 50%), inverter efficiencies (80-95%). There are other variables involved such as wiring losses and voltage synergies, but bottom line, in the real world, best case you're looking at 400W. Not nothing, but then you have to look at weather, subjection to road hazards, constant wind speed, uneven roads, those tolerances have an efficiency cost as well. I'm all for the experimentation, just don't get your hopes up.

 

[Cbowe]

Solar power is generally limited to 1kw per square meter because that's the average level of irradiance on earth. A short bed tonneau is roughly 1.7 meters squared, so the theoretical maximum output is 1700W. Now you factor in efficiencies, like the cell itself (18-25%, or even optimistic research labs of 35% to nearly 50%), inverter efficiencies (80-95%). There are other variables involved such as wiring losses and voltage synergies, but bottom line, in the real world, best case you're looking at 400W. Not nothing, but then you have to look at weather, subjection to road hazards, constant wind speed, uneven roads, those tolerances have an efficiency cost as well. I'm all for the experimentation, just don't get your hopes up.

Yeah that makes sense. They have it rated at 600w and on the podcast said they were getting as much as 800w peak. I don’t have any illusion it would be used to charge the truck it’s more of a complimentary system and fun use of dead space on the truck that I like the concept of.

 

[Cbowe]

Clickbait junk. They did not magically create some new solar technology that the rest of the world doesn't know about. Solar panels on a tonneau cover are a glorified cell phone charger. The scale of solar power required to provide meaningful power to the vehicle battery would require you to a house behind you.

Woah settle down Billy nobody said you’d charge your battery with it. You obviously didn’t watch the podcast. Getting a little in your feelings there yelling about apples as we talk about oranges. Goodness man hope your day gets better lol

 

[chriserx]

Yeah that makes sense. They have it rated at 600w and on the podcast said they were getting as much as 800w peak. I don’t have any illustrations it would be used to charge the truck it’s more of a complimentary system and fun use of dead space on the truck that I like the concept of.

600-800 rating would mean they are testing on a long box. I didn't actually watch the video, generally I don't anyway, everyone takes too long to get to the point. As my post suggests, myself included.

 

[Cbowe]

I loved the breakdown but I maybe should have clarified how they got the 800w result

 

[chriserx]

When I had my flexible panels on my cargo trailer, 24x100W they routinely generated low 3000s and a peak of 3800 IIRC, so 800 on a long bed is not unreasonable, but not exactly realistic (or reliable) either.

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