Why don't electric car manufacurers put solar panels on the car roofs? - eviltoast

Honestly it seems like a no-brainer to me to put a solar panel on the roof of electric cars to increase their action radius, so I figured there’s probably one or more good reasons why they don’t.

Also, I acknowledge that a quick google could answer the question, but with the current state of google I don’t want to read AI bullshit. I want an actual answer, and I bet there will be some engineers eager to explain the issues.

  • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
    23·
    5 months ago

    Everyone saying how little energy a solar panel will produce in optimum conditions.

    I don’t think anyone has mentioned how difficult it would be to get optimum conditions for any significant portion of the day.

    If you think about the places you park, how many of them have uninterrupted line of sight to the entire arc of the sun? Right now my car is parked on the street but it’s in the shadow of a building.

    • Schlecknits@feddit.de
      201·
      5 months ago

      Even if you have the option to park directly in the sun, would you?

      Being in a car that has been heating up for several hours of direct sun exposure is grueling. Switching on the AC to cool down to acceptable temperatures will probably drain more battery then was gained by the solar panel.

      • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
        3·
        5 months ago

        Another really good point.

        … a different way of looking at it is that it’s just way more practical to put solar panels in other places, like on the rooves of buildings.

        Additionally, there seems to be an assumption amongst middle class suburbanites that everyone should just have roof top solar. Of course, the vast majority of humans to not have any roof space, because they live in an apartment.

        I would also point out that my spell checker seems to think that the plural of roof is spelt “roofs” but I’m sure it ought to be “rooves” in the same way the plural of hoof as in part of a horse is hooves.

        • Successful_Try543@feddit.de
          2·
          5 months ago

          I would also point out that my spell checker seems to think that the plural of roof is spelt “roofs” but I’m sure it ought to be “rooves” in the same way the plural of hoof as in part of a horse is hooves.

          According to Wiktionary, both seem to be correct, but ‘roofs’ is the common variant.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
        1·
        5 months ago

        Being in a car that has been heating up for several hours of direct sun exposure is grueling.

        Ahh, beach days with mum. I remember the warm sand, cool lake water, and the layers of flesh burned off my young legs when we got into the car. Those days, we got our exercise writhing in place to avoid the worst of the burns until the car got moving enough to cool the seats down. Thankfully seat belts were optional, then.