Here’s two of the guides I wrote. The image above is an lectric xpedition v1. With a 24qt milkcrate and a 50w solar panel above. Not seen is a foldable solar trailer that this thing can tow. https://www.instructables.com/Ebike-to-Solar-Bike-Conversion-50w-Milkcrate-Metho/
https://www.instructables.com/Solar-Bike-Trailer-for-Charging-Electric-Bikes/
How much does it actually help? Genuinely curious, I’m sure input doesnt equal output, but, by how much? It is a cool idea!
A 50w solar panel on the back will charge one of my 600whr batteries in about 12 hours of sun. Or another way of seeing it is I get 3-5 miles of range per hour. Pretty good for my commute.
The 110w solar trailer easily doubles that to 10 miles of range an hour extra. With it’s 800whr battery on the solar generator giving an extra 50-80 miles of range.
Not the most useful thing for everyone. But I was planning on taking this down a 300 mile trail with we’ll say infrequent places to recharge.
This kind of fits my idea for a hypothetical post-apocalyptic car. Get an EV with a big battery and a trailer for holding a portable solar panel array. You can now travel your vehicle range daily, possibly more, with no need for oil wells, thunder domes, or studded leather. Of course, you can still wear the studded leather, you just don’t have to…
Yea was bored one day and did the math for if I needed to make build a really off grid vehical for crossing the country. Oddly went researching the old conastoga wagons of all things. Getting an electic pickup and building a canopy of solar panels would work well. Could even pull a lightweight trailer coated with solar panels. Toss a gutter and rain barrel system up there. A few sealed buckets of dry food and you’d be pretty set.
Oddly today was working at building a light trailer with a good solar mini grid on it that could trickle charge an electric car. Maybe one day I’ll build that setup.
The biggest issue with it is it only makes sense if you plan on traveling somewhere that doesn’t have access to chargers within the range of your vehicle. Still a cool idea, though.
Range per hour is a nice metric. It turns the abstract energy ideas into a practical benefit.