Basically its a roof rack solar panel with a battery inside (includes AC outlet), extra fold out panels that cover the length of the car, and a charge cable for the car. They’re about $5000 USD and are shipping the first ones out in Q3 this year.
As someone who lives in an appt and commutes, this would make an electric vehicle much more viable as there is no charging stations in my building or at my work. I saw this and immediately began researching what vehicle models would be coming to Canada in 2028.
1.1 kW array, draped over the car is going to produce more like 0.7kW at best and probably less due to clouds and sub optimal angles. Good EV efficiency is like 3mi/kWh and let’s assume you get 8 good hours of sun, which may be generous depending on local weather and time of year. I think you’re only going to see about 16 miles of range added per day.
I don’t buy the “negligible” effect to air resistance and lower speeds. There are just too many factors.
So I guess if you commute less than 16 miles round trip, and you can easily remove it when going on longer, high-speed trips it might solve your lack of outlet. But I stand by the fact that if you can’t charge either at home or at work, electric may not suit your needs. I’m not a hater, both my wife and I drive EVs, just realistically they don’t suit everyone.