Portable Solar charging

[jmeitz]

I was curious if anyone has done this or knows of a way to do this. So my new job is about 10 miles roundtrip more than what my leaf can handle when the weather is cool below 50 or so. Is there a way to get a portable solar panel or shade that would have enough to power the Leaf's standard charger which draws 3 watts i believe. It would charge assuming there was sunlight for 8 hrs.

 

[keydiver]

3 watts??? The standard 120 VAC charge is more like 1.8 kW, if I recall. Any solar array large enough to make that much power, and still be considered "portable", would have to be installed on a trailer you would tow. Similar setups have been discussed here before, and they are very impractical. If your employer won't consider giving you an outlet to charge from, and there is no public charging along your route, I'd say you need a different vehicle.

 

[jmeitz]

I am going by what my plugin monitor says, shows it draws 3 watts.

Unfortunately i am stuck in a lease and cannot get out. was going to purchase a volt.

 

[Limey]

I don't think you realize how little 3 watts of power actually is, but of course, you are saying your leaf can't make it 10 miles either.

 

[Graffi]

My wife has a 19 mile R/T commute but we end up driving over 300 miles each week with only using the 80% Long Life mode. We only charge at home, plugging it in as soon as we drive into the garage. It only takes a few minutes to charge after she gets home, then it is ready for whatever we wish to do.

OP, if you were just curious if it is practical to use a solar panel built into a car cover or something of that sort, IMHO it is not worth the effort. You could live with 110v charging, but if you do get a 220v EVSE for your home I am sure you would not even have to use any public charging stations if you could find some way to plug into 110v at work, unless you plan a trip outside of the Leaf range. Remember that a 220v EVSE will give you 25 miles or less per hour, and a DCQC will give you 150 miles or less per hour.

 

[davewill]

I am going by what my plugin monitor says, shows it draws 3 watts.

Unfortunately i am stuck in a lease and cannot get out. was going to purchase a volt.

Well, your average night light bulb is 7 watts, so either your monitor is broken, or you're not reading it correctly. I guess you're going to have to think outside the box.

How many days a year are you talking about? Any way you could carpool with someone on those days? Or get a coworker to pick up you up/drop you off at a nearby public charging station? I suppose you could even put ad on Craig's List looking for someone who has an outlet near your job who might rent you a place to park and plug in rights.

P.S. Folks, the OP said his commute is 10 miles too long when it's cold, not that he had a 10 mile commute.

 

[keydiver]

I am going by what my plugin monitor says, shows it draws 3 watts.

That is how much the EVSE consumes when you are NOT charging. When charging, its more like 1800 watts.

 

[smkettner]

Talk to your employer about providing a 20 amp GFI circuit near some parking.
Less money to trade to Volt than go solar power.

 

[solartarzan]

I like the idea of putting an ad on Craigslist to use somebody's power nearby.

I also thought of stopping 5-6 miles early and taking public transportation or a bike for the rest. Hey, you'd get your excercise and commute all in one!

 

[Limey]

P.S. Folks, the OP said his commute is 10 miles too long when it's cold, not that he had a 10 mile commute.

Yeah, my bad. guess I need to slow down when reading.

 

[Limey]

I like the idea of putting an ad on Craigslist to use somebody's power nearby.

I also thought of stopping 5-6 miles early and taking public transportation or a bike for the rest. Hey, you'd get your excercise and commute all in one!

As someone who has lots of available parking at his house without blocking the driveway, I have actually thought about installing a charger that could be used outside by someone and getting added to a network.

But, with two known Leaf drivers in the Milwaukee area, It may not be worth it.

 

[drschlechten]

Hey folks, new to the forum but have a new idea... I have been interested in solar powered electric for awhile and now have a potential solution. I am in a unique situation in that I rent both my house and office. ie Not a candidate for permanently installed solar panels. I've been looking for a long time for a way to charge the car directly from solar. Enginer has somewhat recently changed owners and now has a 4Kw battery pack upgrade for LEAF, similar to the Prius plug-in upgrade. It apparently is plug-n-play self install direct to my LEAF battery and has both an input jack for solar panels and outlets for 110V, 220V, and 440V. My thought is, I can put a soft install 2Kw system on the roof of my office. Basically setting the panels on balasted mounts on the roof, and drape the wires over the edge of the roof to my car. It would therefore by temporary and easy to move if I switch offices. The advantage is that the battery gives me another 15 miles range, which gets me to the next town over and back without a recharge. Plus, I'm off grid in the case of a power outage. Thoughts?