Would a portable solar generator work?

solar generator.... an odd concept in my mind. specially when it comes to trying to recharge a car. that's a lot of power and a logical sized trailer or something wouldn't really do all that much of a charge. it would cost way more than you would actually get out of it. (unless you only use the car once a week... even than, it probably won't fully charge the car)

a full roof system would take a day or two to charge a plug in prius. my parents have an off grid system. it would take that system almost 3 days to charge a plug in prius (no power to the house)

the real question is... how large would a system have to be in order to charge a plug in prius, volt, or leaf (tesla for laughs) in a counted day system (1,2,3, etc)

 

How many parking spaces will you have available to set up this portable system, and how many days or weeks are you willing to let it sit for each charge?

Short answer: The needed solar system will be a fixed permanent installation. If rental housing is a financial necessity, not a lifestyle choice, you can't afford the solar system either.

 

I'm not technical in this department but I think the idea has some credit.

The PiPrius takes 3 hours to charge at 110vs, 15 amps is 1600 watts (unless my memory of school physics is all wrong - and it could well be).

Well is it as simple as having an 800 watt PV array charging the car during the day at 6 hours? If you're in a sunny area then surely it'll work? Whether it's work buying $1,000 worth of solar panels is another matter.

 

I played around with this idea as an academic exercise (more of a what to do to keep driving during the zombie apocalypse sort of thing).

The Volt does not allow direct DC charging, I have not heard that the Pip does either. Also Volt's charger is a little picky about the input current, and will stop charging if inputs don't fall within an acceptable band of voltage and current.

What I determined is I would need a temporary storage device to collect the solar electricity that would then be able to discharge at a rate acceptable to the car through an appropriately rated inverter.

Using off the shelf currently available components I was able to design a system that would weigh just over 90 lbs, fit in the hatchback when not in use and cost about $5500 that would be able to fully charge a Volt battery in about 4 days (assuming reasonable amounts of sunshine at a reasonable angle, plenty of ground space to unfold the array, and a required level of disinterest from any zombies)

 

The solar array would cost more then the PIP, and take up way to much space. A better solution would be to just buy a good extension cord rated at 15 amps and plug it into the closest 110Volt outlet. Charge it at night when you know this circuit isn’t in heavy use. Just make sure the refrigerator or other high usage appliance isn’t on the same circuit.

 

I'm obviously making the assumption this whole set up would be in the open and outdoors. I like to trust humanity, but my concern would ultimately be theft. How would you lock down this solar set up?

 

maybe there are some public charging stations nearby. you could excersise or shop or read while it's charging.

 

"a full roof system would take a day or two to charge a plug in prius. my parents have an off grid system. it would take that system almost 3 days to charge a plug in prius (no power to the house)"

I don't understand. A neighbor has a full roof system to charge his Leaf and also provide power to his home. He has a system that is large enough to also charge a Tesla S that he is waiting on. My understanding is that for now, at least, he has excess power which he sells back to the utility. Please enlighten me, in layman's terms if you will.

 

I've gone through a lot of hopeful and imaginary scenarios that allow me in my rented enviroment to own a Plug In Prius, unfortunately for me? When the harsh glare of reality shines....the truth is a Non-Plug in Hybrid just fits my lifestyle better.

Even though? I'd really like a Plug In....and if I win the St. Patricks Day Lottery.....plug me in baby....

 

Probably the main reason that Toyota didn't put a solar roof option in the Plug-in Prius is because it already weighs more than they would like. Most likely they also realized that they would have a few naive customers who might assume that the solar roof could somehow charge up the traction battery of the Plug-in Prius. It wouldn't even come close...

 

Rogerv, not all photo voltaic cells are created equal. Some have much greater efficiency then others. Amorphous silicon cells put out a lot less energy, and are less expensive, but if your cells are a more efficient type then you can get maybe 2 or 3 times the power from the same roof area.

 

Have you thought of an extension cord?

You'll need a 3-wire 12-gauge cord for the 15 amps needed.

25' ~ $30
50' ~ $50
100' ~ $70

Prices from Home Depot.

Though I like the idea of Solar, an extension cord is pretty cheap.

 

i wasn't referring to a brand new system. things are a little bit different when someone is completely off grid. you have to take in account battery back up and inverter losses.

then there is their energy obligations. like re charging my uncles wheel chair, running his bed and respirator (while keeping it's 12v backup topped off), bed air pumps, and so forth. there's also the daily tv entertaiment for my grandmother who isn't exactly mobile due to strokes.

if they had a newer system and they didn't burn 300 watts all day for a tv system... then they could probably charge a prius.. but not a volt.

their system peaks around 6.25kw hours a day...

someone referred to the charging time of a prius. yeah.. i guess you could set up a 1kw system with battery back up to charge.. but that's a lot of battery back up. it would basically be a mobile trailer. over multiple days, you could use a smaller system.

let's say the panels cost a grand.. then there's a grand or two in batteries... and then a grand or so for a good off grid charger. used is cheaper but requires twice the system.

i don't know if i would trust an extension cord. the breaker you run on should be 20 amps.. with 12 gauge wire. (i see a lot of improper wire/breaker matchups in the field) your extension cord should be 20 amp too. you would be pulling a maximum rating for anything 15amp. that's ok for short periods of time.. not hours. that's why i say 20 amp.

if toyota did put on a good (i'll say 200 watt) solar panel to the top of the prius, it would still take a few days to charge it (possibly a week because of bad angles or shade)... then you have to worry about thermal control of the charging units and batteries.. then there's the power used to control it all... a percentage of the power coming in... so you add another day. that would work for a small percentage of people and wouldn't be worth the cost (currently) to slap that on a premium package.

back to topic... have you ever seen the mobile charging trailers for traffic signals? the lane closed, arrow left or right signs?.... that's what you would need.

 

I assume he meant the full roof of the car. I have an array on the roof of my house that produces more than enough for my house and charging the volt.

 

There are many volt owners (and a few leafs) charging on PV. In fact solar_dave is charging 2.. (But he lives in AZ.. ) It depends on your location, you view and the size of the system. The Volt takes 13kw for a full charge. Systems are raited by their power or an hour, and most locations have between 3 and 5 "solar hours" per day (combning real hours and sun angles). Thus A 4kw system system with reasonable coverage should do for most people wanting to charge a volt. A prius could probably get by with a 1kw system

Chevy Volt is paid for and fueled by solar power

 

I would say a solar system big enough to charge the Plug-in Prius is not going to be portable. And it's also not going to be cheap.

From Toyota's FAQ (go to the Prius Plug In tab at the bottom, and select the "Why do I need a dedicated 15-amp circuit to charge?" question) , we see the Prius needs 12 Amps at 120 volts for the slower Level 1 charge. This is 1440 Watts. I'd guess the charger may shut down and not charge at all unless you can provide at least this much power. That FAQ also says: "If the circuit is undersized or being used by other appliances, the vehicle may not charge".

Here's one 1440 watt off-grid system: 1440 Watt Off-Grid Power System but I would not recommend a system this small. Why? It may produce 1440 watts only under ideal conditions. Do you want a charger that works only under ideal conditions (full direct overhead sun, with the panels aimed just right)? And look at all the parts. This 1800 Watt version would be more likely to work. Also, note the inverter to get 120V from the battery is an extra-cost option with the systems I linked (and I'd advise to make sure it's a pure sinewave inverter, the cheaper modified sinewave might not be satisfactory).

Note that I selected an off-grid system (because I think your whole reason for wanting to go solar is because you have no access to a utility power source). These require their own battery banks. The charge controller and inverter won't work without them, because they need the voltage stability a battery bank provides. Grid-tie inverters won't work at all if you're not tied to the grid.

Trying to use a system of this size as a portable system seems very impractical. Not cost-effective either. If you're going to spend this much on solar panels, you'd be better off tying them to the grid so they can produce power all day long every day, in order for them to payback their cost. Spend your money instead on moving somewhere where you can plug in (or install a permanent PV system if that's what you want). In addition to a house, there are public charging stations. One reference is here.