Is a solar / electric van realistic?

[Solar electric vehicle]

I live in Honolulu, HI.
I drive maybe 10 miles / day.
I park my current car in the sun all day.
It is sunny almost every day of the year here.

I see more solar / electric cars coming out (sono motors, new prius). But don't want to wait.

Would converting a vw van or newer (longer) ford transit connect to electric (not hybrid) with thin solar on vehicle roof (similar to sono sion) make sense?

* I am 6'4" - so don't fit into most sedans / compacts. So vehicle has to fit tall driver.

What would the approx. Cost be?
Distance on full charge?
Recharge rate from solar?

I am intrigued by the possibilities of not buying gas, and not being tied to a solar charging station (I live in a condo). I am an admitted novice / beginner.

Thank you!

 

[chevymike]

Talk to the guys at EV West ( https://evwest.com/catalog/ ) as they make conversions for older air cooled VW vehicles and have done a lot of VW buses. They might have info for the newer Vanagon's too.

Having a buddy who has done a number of vehicle conversions for the last 10 years, it WILL NOT be cheap. We built a '27 Model T roadster (fiberglass car, not a real Ford one) and the motor, batteries and controller alone was almost $15,000. I think the EV West stuff is around $8000 without batteries.

As for charging, you need to know your battery capacity to really figure out how much solar you need. Can it be done, likely yes but will it be cheap, definitely not.

 

[jasonhc73]

Think about this.

A Chevy Spark.
It has about 18 kWh of battery storage.
A 1 kWp of solar panels will make about 3 1/2 kWh of energy when sitting at a fixed angle.

The Spark has a level 1 EVSE that only uses 8 amps of current, that's 960 watts, or basically just shy of 1 kWh of energy.
The Spark is exceptionally energy-efficient as EV's go, in the realm of 5.5 miles per kWh. It's very easy to get it over 6.0 miles per kWh.

Can you put the panels on the car? ummmmm - no.

But you can put the panels on a carport for sure, or even right on the ground for that mater. Just aim them at the sun properly and viola, a solar-powered car. All you need is a MPPT controller, PV panels and a 120V outlet, the car is the battery storage unit!

1 kWp of used panels available all over ebay now. (Finding some in HI may be tough)
A way to turn the panel energy into household power, very easy.

I have a Spark EV and a Bolt EV, the Spark EV is much easier to get in and out of, but does not have anywhere near the features of the Bolt.
Converting the Transit Van to EV, is more than the cost of just getting 3 or 4 Spark EVs.

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

Talk to the guys at EV West ( https://evwest.com/catalog/ ) as they make conversions for older air cooled VW vehicles and have done a lot of VW buses. They might have info for the newer Vanagon's too.

Having a buddy who has done a number of vehicle conversions for the last 10 years, it WILL NOT be cheap. We built a '27 Model T roadster (fiberglass car, not a real Ford one) and the motor, batteries and controller alone was almost $15,000. I think the EV West stuff is around $8000 without batteries.

As for charging, you need to know your battery capacity to really figure out how much solar you need. Can it be done, likely yes but will it be cheap, definitely not.

Wow, thx!
While not 'cheap', it does not seem too expensive - factoring in money saved on gas, oil changes, annual registration -

 

[chevymike]

Wow, thx!
While not 'cheap', it does not seem too expensive - factoring in money saved on gas, oil changes, annual registration -

When you factor in all of the costs, you are likely looking at 6-7 years minimum before you break even and start saving money. That's assuming you are putting in $50 per week for gas. If you are using less, it will take even longer. Where this makes more sense is for people who put a lot of miles on. Then your return will be much shorter.

 

[Supervstech]

Wow, thx!
While not 'cheap', it does not seem too expensive - factoring in money saved on gas, oil changes, annual registration -

Registration fees shouldn’t change...

 

[Supervstech]

Your latitude and sea temps are ideal for solar, but the strong sun will quickly destroy thin panels... expect to change panels every year... glass panels don’t sit nicely, but last longer.

only 10 miles per day, sunny weather all the time, and as light a vehicle as possible, equal a doable plan.
Skipping a day here and there, or plugging in would help.

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

When you factor in all of the costs, you are likely looking at 6-7 years minimum before you break even and start saving money. That's assuming you are putting in $50 per week for gas. If you are using less, it will take even longer. Where this makes more sense is for people who put a lot of miles on. Then your return will be much shorter.

Sound advice.
I agree there are multiple variables.
A few benefits:
Electric cars don't pay parking meters - no more parking tickets.
No waiting at gas stations.
If / when the price of gas goes up, savings happen faster.

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

Your latitude and sea temps are ideal for solar, but the strong sun will quickly destroy thin panels... expect to change panels every year... glass panels don’t sit nicely, but last longer.

only 10 miles per day, sunny weather all the time, and as light a vehicle as possible, equal a doable plan.
Skipping a day here and there, or plugging in would help.

Thx!

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

Registration fees shouldn’t change...

Honolulu bases annual registration fee on engine size. Several friends with electric cars have been pleasantly surprised...

 

[jasonhc73]

Found a van...

http://www.solarelectricvwbus.com/

Solarrolla Electric Vehicles - Videos

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[Solar electric vehicle]

Thx. Saw that. For sale. $100k +

 

[Reed Cole]

This company is converting Ram Promaster vans to all electric drivetrains.

Maxwell Vehicles

Maxwell Vehicles - Home

www.maxwellvehicles.com

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

Yeah - they are beautiful!

 

[Defenestrator]

You can also check out https://www.routedelsol.com/ for a fully-solar setup (I think done by the same builders as the VW bus)

10 miles a day in a sunny mild climate is probably doable, but you'll want a plan B (second vehicle, Uber, extension cord.. something) and don't expect to come out ahead financially.

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

You can also check out https://www.routedelsol.com/ for a fully-solar setup (I think done by the same builders as the VW bus)

10 miles a day in a sunny mild climate is probably doable, but you'll want a plan B (second vehicle, Uber, extension cord.. something) and don't expect to come out ahead financially.

Thx!

 

[Delmar]

For driving only 10 miles/day it may be difficult to recoup the cost of a full electric van, unless you need the space for hauling.

Think small. I would consider a recumbent tricycle with solar panel as a sun shield. Pedal assist would greatly extend the range/speed, supply backup propulsion and be good exercise. Baskets could hold groceries or a briefcase.

Electric trike link

 

[Solar electric vehicle]

Thanks. I need a car - so a bike won't cut it.

 

[alfaeric]

First of all, how big of a vehicle do you need?

If it's a tiny, one person vehicle, the you could fabricate a solar car similar to the ones used solar car races that happen throughout the world. But given you can't use a bike, I don't see those single seater cars being all that practical.

The size really matters, as you can figure out how much energy you need to do that commute.

Assuming that the car you have is about right, then warm your car fully up- say drive it all the way of the commute and back. And then carefully measure how much fuel is used to do the commute. A decent estimate of energy would be roughly 1/3 of the energy content in the fuel- while ICE's don't run 30% efficient, EV's also don't run 100%- so 1/3 is a good estimate of electric energy vs fuel energy.

Once you have that, you will know how much electrical energy needs to be captured.

Then, like for a home installation, you can do the math to calculate the amount of batteries needed to do that, plus how much solar it would take to replenish that on a decent day.

For a nominal sized car, the best solar you will get is just about 700W on the surface area with decent cost panels. And that's less than a hp. It's unlikely that the car will move on pure solar w/o storage.