this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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Electric Vehicles
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I’ve done this… I had 700w of solar panels on my car, that fed a 2kwhr portable battery, that fed the car charger. It’s only bought to get 15-20 mile/day, but it’s something.
I used it when I was cross-country traveling and was off-grid camping. It was mainly way I could get back to civilization after a week out in the middle of nowhere. Also made enough power to run my air fryer and computer/starlink setup.
It seems like electric cars are commonly parked outside in the hot sun all day, and so should have solar panels - it wouldn't be all the power you need, but for the average driver it would be about a third of their total driving. Plus that if you do run out the solution is just wait a couple hours it a powerful (though in reality not useful) message. Solar panels could easially be shaped to the roof of the car and thus not affect aerodynamics (in quantities of the auto manufactures this is an option).
I want a retractable panel that covers my wind shield so my car doesn't get so hot while I'm inside - this is a feature I'd pay for even if it isn't cost effective.
We should be putting solar panels over parking spaces anyway, rather than over places where plants could grow. Combine that with electric vehicles that could plug into that infrastructure.
Agrivoltaics can be a net benefit for plant productivity depending on the region and field type. Pasture for sheep does fairly well, for instance, as grasses do better with some shade in a lot of cases. It reduces water requirements and simulates a lightly wooded or scrub area.
Devil, details, etc.
Putting solar panels over parking spaces is a terrible idea - it's far more expensive, makes it far more liable to be smashed by some idiot, and requires high-embodied-emissions steel/concrete to car-proof your solar panels as a result (technically just car-resistant).
Meanwhile, car parks are a stupid symptom of car-centric design and should be phased out. Putting solar panels on a car park isn't smart use of space, it's just putting lipstick on a pig.