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DIY enthusiasts everywhere have been sharing how-to tips for attaching solar panels onto the roof racks of electric cars, vans, and SUVs. Executing the idea is a bit more complicated than it may seem, and a California startup called DartSolar aims to lend a hand with a retractable design, downloadable blueprints, and 3D-printable parts, too.
Rooftop Solar Panels For Your Car
The DartSolar website is loaded with details about the solar panels but but background information about the company itself is on the slim side, so I reached out to DartSolar for some additional insights. Co-founder Omid Sadeghpour — who holds an engineering degree from graciously responded and you’ll find his answers in Part 2 of this article.
Last February the online design magazine Core77 cited a Reddit post by Sadeghpour describing a Beta 1 handmade version of the solar panels, attached to the roof of his Tesla Model Y sedan. “For the last two years I’ve been working on a 2000 watt to 4000 watt solar system for my Model Y … I can reliably get 20 miles to 60 miles per day. I can expand these solar panels with ease, and contract them when I want to start driving,” Sadeghpour wrote.
“The reason I can pack so many solar panels is because I am using telescoping carbon fiber tubes as my mechanism of expansion and contraction, as opposed to mechanical sliders. This allows me to pack 4000 watts of solar on a Tesla, without going over the max roof weight capacity of 165 lbs,” he elaborated.
The Beta 1 version measures 11″ high and Sadeghpour made it with wood. For the Beta2 version Sadeghpour described plans for a slimmer, 6″ profile made from carbon fiber.
Core77 reporter Rain Noe also notes that the panels fit within a standard parking space when fully expanded.
The DartSolar Solar Panel Solution
DartSolar provided an update with more details in a press release dated December 9. The company is aiming at an initial goal of 10-20 miles of charge daily, based on a solar roof rack of 1,000 watts when expanded and parked. The solar panels can also continue to harvest solar energy while the vehicle is in motion, in which case the rack contracts to 360 watts. There are also allowances for drivers to open their trunks.
The frame consists of 1/8″ aluminum with stainless steel telescopic tubes, sporting a slim 1.5″ profile.
“The solar roof rack features open blueprints, repair instructions, and parts allowing for easy repairs. It uses lightweight, custom solar panels just an eighth of an inch thick. Repair parts can also be easily 3D printed by any DIY enthusiast,” DartSolar notes.
DartSolar estimates a daily output of approximately 5,000 watt-hours on an average of five hours of sunlight daily. That’s enough to run electric tools and equipment and/or add some extra miles of charge to the battery.
“With a ten-year expected lifetime, and priced at $2,950, the DartSolar has a payback period of two years and a 5X return on investment (or ROI). Engineered to be theft-proof, the DartSolar charger is more affordable than comparable residential solar panel installations,” DartSolar continues. They also point out that drivers don’t need a permit to install rooftop solar panels on their cars, in contrast to the potentially burdensome process of applying for permissions to install rooftop solar panels on buildings.
To gild the green lily, DartSolar also observes that the rooftop solar panels act as a canopy for the car in hot weather, cooling the vehicle interior by 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Right To Repair Your Rooftop Solar Panels
DartSolar’s support for the right to repair movement is particularly interesting. “DartSolar products will have their blueprints released to inspire a culture of DIY innovation and repairs,” the company states. “Locally repairing and innovating has many environmental, economical, and longevity benefits.”
“With the advent of 3D printing, we aim to create a community of DIY engineers to not only repair products locally, but innovate and customize the expandable solar array to different vehicle makes and models,” they add.
If this evokes memories of the Local Motors experiment, join the club. In contrast to the electric vehicle gigafactories of today, the US startup Local Motors envisioned a 3-D printed chassis, frame, and associated parts that can be cooked up in a space smaller than a one-car garage in less than 48 hours.
No, for real. I saw one of their 3D printers in action with my own eyes at the North American Auto Show in Detroit back in 2015. The company was collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on the project. It ended up with the lab concluding that its “Big Area Additive Manufacturing” device is capable of delivering “vehicle body parts with attachment fixtures suitable for automotive applications.” Unfortunately, Local Motors ended up folding in 2022.
Roof Racks & Solar Panels Can Coexist
If you’re wondering how DartSolar’s solar panel solution can co-exist with kayaks, camping gear, mattresses and other items typically attached to car roof, that’s a good question. DartSolar does not advise taking down the solar panels and putting them back up as a matter of routine. It’s not particularly convenient because the rack plus solar panels weighs almost 90 pounds all together. However, the company does offer an adapter that weighs only five pounds, enabling the vehicle to carry up to 50 pounds of luggage and other items along with the solar panels.
Of course, the options are more expansive for electric hatchbacks, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks, where drivers can make use of interior storage space and reserve the roof for solar panels. DartSolar indicates that its roof rack system is compatible with a variety of electric vehicles. I’m thinking that one good use of space involves involves electric pickup trucks with extended roofs, such as the forthcoming TELO MT1.
You can check out the website for more details including drag loss (described as “negligible”), theft prevention (“Four keyed locks and custom bolts make the DartSolar hard to remove”), and compatibility with other power take-off devices. In addition to its own power unit, DartSolar lists three familiar brands on the CleanTechnica radar: EcoFlow, Jackery, and Bluetti.
“DartSolar has been tested to endure winds up to 30 MPH,” the company adds. “For environments with wind speeds above 30 MPH, we recommend only expanding two-thirds of the solar panels by fully opening just the two moving panels that cover the middle section. This setup can sustain winds up to 50 MPH. In conditions with wind speeds higher than 50 MPH, we strongly advise closing the system completely to prevent potential damage to the solar panel structure.”
Stay tuned for Part 2, featuring additional commentary from DartSolar co-founder Sadeghpour and some observations on perovskite solar cells from the UK startup Oxford PV.
Follow me via LinkTree, or @tinamcasey on Threads, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.
Image: Rooftop solar panels can be installed on a variety of electric vehicles, adding miles to the battery, running electric tools and equipment, or providing power in emergencies (courtesy of DartSolar via prnewswire.com).
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