Why solar panels on EVs are a bad idea!

Solar panels for Electric vehicles have already been considered by several manufacturers. And that makes sense at first. You receive more range at no cost as your automobile idles.

Additionally, it is clean energy, which is advantageous for the environment. What's not to like? There is also the added benefit of making fewer visits to the charger. Quite a bit, and it becomes apparent the instant you begin to probe. Let's look at it!

How do Solar Panels work?

While not going into the technicals, we do want to tell some important points on the working of solar panels. The non-SI unit watt-peak is frequently used to represent the nominal power output of panels, which is the output the panel will produce at its ideal temperature while fully exposed to the sun.

Even on the brightest of days we only get part of the total output. This is because temperature plays a huge role in this. As the temperature rises the efficiency of the solar panels decreases.

In places like India and other areas that are closer to equators, the average temperature is much higher than the ideal working temperature of solar panels. This can easily result in 10 to 20% degradation.

Moreover just like temperature, shade also gravely affects the efficiency of the solar panels. Because the panels are connected in series, even if about 2% of the working area is covered in shade the total output of the system is reduced by half. So even if you are driving on a sunny day, slight shade can hamper the performance and the charging of the vehicle.

Why it is a bad idea?

High Price

Brands like Hyundai and Toyota offer solar panels on the roof of some cars like the latest Prius, but this option usually costs around €1500 to €2500 (not available in India) which comes to around Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.2 Lacks. Even with nominal charging rates, you will need about 10 to 12 years to break even, without counting the other factors.

Degradation of the Panels

Your panels can degrade if they are working but are unable to charge the battery when the battery is full.

It is not Environmental Friendly

Even though it costs you more money than it saves in the battery, having a solar roof that produces the cleanest energy possible must benefit the environment, right? Sadly, nothing is ever really that easy.

The use of solar energy is increasing at an unheard-of rate, and the biggest barrier is the supply side: we simply can't produce solar panels quickly enough.

Additionally, it makes more sense to reserve production capacity for solar farms where panels will be positioned to maximise their output rather than squandering them on automobiles where they will be idle most of the time in a market with limited supply.

Moreover, due to a smaller scale, the carbon footprint emitted by these panels will be more per Watt-hour.

It will not be comfortable

Putting solar panels on the roof will increase the cabin temperature drastically. This will lead to the passengers becoming uncomfortable. You might say that we just have to turn on the AC.

Right? Well turning on the Ac will cost energy and because the panels will continuously increase the temperature, you will have to put AC on overdrive which will use more energy and in the end reduce the efficiency of the vehicle.

So What should you do?

You can install solar panels on your house. This will generate much more green energy than on the roof of the car. This will also be easy to maintain so in the long term it will cost much lower.

With a home charging station, you will also get much faster charging. Moreover, you can use much bigger battery packs and use the extra energy to power your house which will lower your electricity bill.

And perhaps we can reconsider and start using them on automobiles one day when panels have advanced, we've finished all the main projects, and supply has finally caught up with demand. However, that is years away.