Charging My Ride Straight from the Roof! Who's Tried It?

[LoudyRowdy]

Hey, we just got a new 6kW solar setup on our roof, just in time for summer! I'm thinking of charging my Cooper SE straight from the solar setup using a 10amp socket. Anyone here tried this before? I'm curious to know about your setup and how long it usually takes to charge up.

 

[robocap]

@LoudyRowdy welcome to the forum! I'm currently using a 10kW solar setup with a 15amp outlet, although I'm planning to upgrade to a 20amp outlet soon. It typically takes me 2-3 hours to fully charge my car, starting at around 20% charge level.

 

[Roxanne_]

I use a completely off-grid solar power system. It has 15kw of solar panels, a 15kw Sol-Ark inverter, and 55kw-hours of battery storage for nighttime use.

 

[Travel$quad14]

My neighbor drives a Countryman PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle). It has an electric-only range of about 30 miles. It also has a 1.5-liter turbocharged Cooper engine.

I don't think a few small solar panels would generate enough electricity to make a significant difference. You'd probably need a sizeable array, like the kind you'd install on a house, to have any real impact. Otherwise, you'd think car manufacturers would already be putting solar panels on car roofs, right?