# Charging an electric car with solar panels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935 "2013-08-11T15:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/61 "2013-08-15T00:42:40Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > They don’t need to. The Model S is already practical for a large number of people. Even another 10 or 20 percent would widen the net considerably. A factor of two and it’s pretty much game over for gasoline. The Tesla Model S is “practical” for the small number of people who have sufficient disposal income to afford a $70k high performance sport sedan suitable for urban driving in warm climates. “A factor of two” of energy storage density does not result in “game over” for hydrocarbon fuels even for just personal transport unless it comes with some means to rapidly charge or swap the battery. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/62 "2013-08-15T04:04:24Z")
I have it on a good source that within 4 years there will be affordable electric cars for the middle class with 500 mile range… no cite though… I just heard it from his mouth though. ---
**Author:** ![IanAber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@IanAber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IanAber)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/63 "2017-04-13T01:07:03Z")
> [@Biks](#): > > Anyone know if it’s possible to charge an electric car (say a Tesla model S) off of just solar panels, completely off the grid? Money is no object and I’ve got acres of land. Let’s say I want to match the on-grid charging times of what it normally takes to fully charge an electric car. > > The next question is - what are my time options? If I only have to drive 25 miles a day and don’t need to fully charge my car on a regular basis, what kind of set could I get away with? > > Damn it, I want to drive off of sunlight only. I am doing it. I have a Model S and charge it, at home, entirely from Solar in my Off Grid system. I have a fairly large array (18KW) and 26KWHr of battery so I have to be careful about the charge rate unless we have full sun but I am living proof that it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/64 "2017-04-13T01:14:29Z")
> [@IanAber](#): > > I am doing it. I have a Model S and charge it, at home, entirely from Solar in my Off Grid system. I have a fairly large array (18KW) and 26KWHr of battery so I have to be careful about the charge rate unless we have full sun but I am living proof that it is possible. So what is your cost per KWH, and how long does it take to charge your car? And can you drive 400 miles on that charge, as I had to do last weekend with my Honda? ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/65 "2017-04-13T01:45:24Z")
> [@Biks](#): > > Anyone know if it’s possible to charge an electric car (say a Tesla model S) off of just solar panels, completely off the grid? Money is no object and I’ve got acres of land. Let’s say I want to match the on-grid charging times of what it normally takes to fully charge an electric car. > > The next question is - what are my time options? If I only have to drive 25 miles a day and don’t need to fully charge my car on a regular basis, what kind of set could I get away with? > > Damn it, I want to drive off of sunlight only. Simple answer. If you put in a solar system capable of completely running your home (You dont need acres of panels) You can just plug in your car and it will charge in the normal amount of time. If said system also has a battery system capable of totally running your home during night time hours etc also, then you are ready to go 24/7 Or do you specifically just want to charge the car only? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/66 "2017-04-13T05:21:46Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Essentially all power that we use, aside from that generated by nuclear fission and geothermal, is solar in nature and simply stored in different forms. Even those are really solar in nature, too. Both are dependent on the existence of a planet, which was interstellar matter that was gathered together into a planet largely by the gravity of the sun. So really, all our power comes from the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/67 "2017-04-13T12:57:04Z")
Digging back a few years, > [@](#): > > Quoth **campp** : > > I have a friend with a largish solar panel farm that powers his house and charges his Chevy Volt. I’ve ridden around in the car, and it seems pretty nice. His range is limited, and he is always concerned with the miles driven ie “point of no return”. > > He gets pissed that he has to charge the car at his office sometimes, and that “costs him money”. If he literally runs it entirely from his solar farm, and is still on the dealer-original gas in the tank, then why did he buy a hybrid instead of an all-electric? The ICE and fuel tank is added bulk, weight, and complexity that he’s never using, and so it’d be more practical and efficient to do without them. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/68 "2017-04-13T13:15:48Z")
Perhaps for the same reason people buy pickup trucks who almost never haul things. Or the reason cars have spare tires which are almost never used. The incremental cost for the ICE backup is $X. The incremental hassle of being trapped in a situation where ICE is needed is Y (measured in dollars and hassle-units). Multiply that out by some probabilities and personal preferences and getting the ICE makes sense to some people. It is interesting how many people choose their vehicles not for their 99% use case but for their 1% use case. ISTM there’d be a good business renting pickup trucks, tow vehicles , panel vans, flatbeds, long range cruising cars, and other specialized vehicles if only the majority of people could be persuaded to not buy for their 1% use cases. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/69 "2017-04-13T15:09:52Z")
> [@The\_Niply\_Elder](#): > > I have it on a good source that within 4 years there will be affordable electric cars for the middle class with 500 mile range… no cite though… I just heard it from his mouth though. Did this happen? It’s about 4 years later. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/70 "2017-04-13T15:18:37Z")
Not quite 500 mile range but the Chevy Bolt? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/71 "2017-04-13T15:23:18Z")
Plus the charging stations are much more widely available than they were a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/72 "2017-04-13T15:44:21Z")
On cNet I recall a electric car with a solar panel. The car would be parked under a fresnel lens to concentrate the sun’s light to the lense and the car would move autonomously to track the sun when parked there. ---
**Author:** ![Doubticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@Doubticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubticus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/73 "2017-04-13T16:25:05Z")
I own a Volt and I have solar panels on my house. I bought the Volt used with 30k miles for 18k. The solar panels cost 30k after 10k tax credit, if anyone is curious of the cost. The price of the loan for the panels, plus the extra electricity I purchase is less than my monthly bill for electric used to be. In other words, buying the panels cost less money than not buying them. Of course I live in AZ so, there’s plenty of sun. At some point, I buy a third generation Tesla Powerwall and additional solar panels. Historically, my utility bills only go up in price, so solar is a hedge against that. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/74 "2017-04-13T16:46:02Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Did this happen? It’s about 4 years later. At this point, the best you can get is a Tesla 100D (335 miles EPA range for ~$88,000 after tax credit). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/75 "2017-04-13T17:03:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **kanicbird** : > > On cNet I recall a electric car with a solar panel. The car would be parked under a fresnel lens to concentrate the sun’s light to the lense and the car would move autonomously to track the sun when parked there. It can be done, but at that point you might as well just replace the Fresnel lens with more solar panels, and continue generating power even when the car’s not parked under it. ---
**Author:** ![MTVhike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/76 "2017-04-14T12:34:59Z")
I would like to get an electric car to drive between my two homes, which are about 325 miles apart. I feel that a Tesla 100D might work, but it’s a little pricey and its range is too close to 325 miles to rely on. But, if there were a charging station at the halfway point (Albany, NY), then this or perhaps a Bolt, might be doable. ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935/77 "2017-04-14T13:23:06Z")
> [@MTVhike](#): > > I would like to get an electric car to drive between my two homes, which are about 325 miles apart. I feel that a Tesla 100D might work, but it’s a little pricey and its range is too close to 325 miles to rely on. But, if there were a charging station at the halfway point (Albany, NY), then this or perhaps a Bolt, might be doable. There are tons of Tesla superchargers in that area including Albany. So with a Tesla your drive is no problem. > **[supercharge.info](https://supercharge.info/)** > > Zoomable Tesla supercharger map with adjustable range indicator. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-an-electric-car-with-solar-panels/665935.md?page=3)