Can You Use Solar Panels To Charge An Electric Car?
Sustainability, green energy, solar array systems, and electric vehicles have gained much notoriety in the past decade. It would be reasonable to ask, “can you use solar panels to charge an electric car?” If you’re curious whether this can be accomplished, you’re in luck!
We’ll explain whether it’s possible or not to charge an electric car with solar panels and whether it’s a good idea at this point in time.
Using Solar Panels To Charge An Electric Car
In short, yes, it’s possible to use solar panels to charge an electric car. In fact, there are several options for generating/transferring and ultimately powering your electric car with solar energy.
Cars With Solar Panels On The Roof or Side Paneling
One way solar energy can power your car is to purchase a car with solar panels on the roof. Solar-paneled cars may have been unheard of ten years ago, but the industry is now finding its footing. Many models are still in the prototype/development phase, but we are getting closer to seeing cars with solar panels on our roadways. The solar-powered car is expected to be a major industry within the next decade.
Options like the Fisker Ocean, the hybrid Hyundai Sonata, and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX are hitting the market in late 2022 and 2023. But at this point, solar cars have their setbacks. While the solar panels on some of these models do provide energy to the vehicle, they don’t power it entirely.
Right now, In good sunlight, solar panels on your car will take you an extra 3-4 miles daily, depending on the model and trim level. Until those performance numbers increase and prices go down, we don’t see too many early adopters opting in for solar-powered cars just yet.
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Can You Use Solar Panels To Charge An Electric Car? – Home Solar Arrays
If solar panels on your car’s roof aren’t your thing, you may be interested in setting up an at-home charging station for your electric vehicle. How much energy you need depends on your car’s battery and how much you drive. Even so, currently, the average car battery requires about ten solar array panels.
You’ll need a home charging unit and a PV inverter to charge your vehicle with a solar array system. The unit will convert solar energy into the electricity your car battery needs. This process is almost exactly how a home solar inverter converts solar energy into electricity for home use.
Can You Use Solar Panels To Charge An Electric Car? – Commercial Solar Arrays
Solar panels can also be incorporated into public electric car charging stations, saving businesses money; they are a great way to show that a business is environmentally-friendly.
Both electric cars and solar arrays’ popularity have increased exponentially in the past few years. In fact, buyers purchased more electric vehicles per week in 2021 than they did in the whole of 2012. The popularity isn’t fading soon, with projections finding that electric cars will likely make up half of all light vehicle sales by 2035.
Please reach out to learn more about solar array systems and their potential uses! We are premier Houston solar installers and are trusted across Texas as the local solar company to work with to achieve great results.
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