Covered In Solar Panels

Another issue with solar panels is cost. When I bought my Toyota Echo in 2004 it cost about $8k. Prius at that time was over $20k. I figured I could buy a whole bunch of gas for the $12k difference. Another factor was that the lower initial cost meant lower payments and so I paid more for more gas. It was the better deal for me. Solar panels will require more up front cost and you will need to drive the entire solar cells output for it to pay for itself. Maintenance may also be an issue. Acid rain, thermal expansion and contraction, vibration, the mounting. Lots of reasons to cause failure. The Elios simplicity should keep the cost of ownership pretty low. For me, it will be the best deal for at least five more years. At least until the cost of EV's comes down or the availability of autonomous taxis goes up. Thinking in about fifteen to twenty years from now how great it will be to convert my garage into a space with a different use.

Made in USA said:

Another issue with solar panels is cost. When I bought my Toyota Echo in 2004 it cost about $8k. Prius at that time was over $20k. I figured I could buy a whole bunch of gas for the $12k difference. Another factor was that the lower initial cost meant lower payments and so I paid more for more gas. It was the better deal for me. Solar panels will require more up front cost and you will need to drive the entire solar cells output for it to pay for itself. Maintenance may also be an issue. Acid rain, thermal expansion and contraction, vibration, the mounting. Lots of reasons to cause failure. The Elios simplicity should keep the cost of ownership pretty low. For me, it will be the best deal for at least five more years. At least until the cost of EV's comes down or the availability of autonomous taxis goes up. Thinking in about fifteen to twenty years from now how great it will be to convert my garage into a space with a different use.

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Is acid rain really a thing? I thought that went out of vogue in the 80's.
If the little solar charging car can charge up 10 miles worth of electricity a day, I'd almost never have to charge it myself saving all the money. Most people who park outside at work would benefit at least some from that ability. As cells get more efficient, it'll be a better and better benefit. As to the cost, well, those are going down as well and will surely go down in quantities.

Made in USA said:

Another issue with solar panels is cost. When I bought my Toyota Echo in 2004 it cost about $8k. Prius at that time was over $20k. I figured I could buy a whole bunch of gas for the $12k difference. Another factor was that the lower initial cost meant lower payments and so I paid more for more gas. It was the better deal for me. Solar panels will require more up front cost and you will need to drive the entire solar cells output for it to pay for itself. Maintenance may also be an issue. Acid rain, thermal expansion and contraction, vibration, the mounting. Lots of reasons to cause failure. The Elios simplicity should keep the cost of ownership pretty low. For me, it will be the best deal for at least five more years. At least until the cost of EV's comes down or the availability of autonomous taxis goes up. Thinking in about fifteen to twenty years from now how great it will be to convert my garage into a space with a different use.

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It's almost a certainty that those flexible panels are integrated into the body and finish of the vehicle under a durable protective coating. So NO, not a lot of reasons to cause failure any more than there would be reasons for any component to fail on any other vehicle. I'd say far less so. Solar film on residential and commercial roofs is usually guaranteed against power loss for 10/25 years. I understand that an extra 10 to 18 miles a day doesn't mean much to some. But as I said, some people like this kind of thing.

Elio Amazed said:

It's almost a certainty that those flexible panels are integrated into the body and finish of the vehicle under a durable protective coating. So NO, not a lot of reasons to cause failure any more than there would be reasons for any component to fail on any other vehicle. I'd say far less so. Solar film on residential and commercial roofs is usually guaranteed against power loss for 10/25 years. I understand that an extra 10 to 18 miles a day doesn't mean much to some. But as I said, some people like this kind of thing.

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The median efficiency on those panels under ideal conditions is between 11-13%, if you add yet another layer on top of them, you're reducing the efficiency even more.

10-18 miles a day is, quite frankly, completely unattainable.

I like a green concept as much as the next person, but these claims are completely unrealistic.

A long time ago, I took some classes on solar energy. It had most to do with budgets and efficiency for where you were located. Then it got into proper placement of a solar panel. From what i learned there, I can see that this car would do great if you lived in West Texas, New Mexico or Arizona. Then you'd better park it in the ideal spot for a recharge. If you lived anywhere else, forget it. When you hear those efficiency numbers, it all comes down to the most ideal conditions ever. Not reality.

It's the same thing that when Solar City came rolling through our neighborhood last year. About 5 people got panels on they roof and they were so happy. The guy that lives the next street over was so proud and he was getting great numbers. I gave him my doubts on how long that would last and he told me that Solar City would come out at any time and make sure it's working at it's peak. Here's the thing. The rule of thumb is a flat panel is to be at the same angle as your latitude, then plus or minus 15 degrees for summer and winter. We are at 40 deg latitude and his panels are at 26 deg. That worked out great because for summer peak, 25 degrees. Now it's winter, it really needs to be at 55 deg. It's not and with the snow, every panel in the neighborhood is covered which makes the panels useless. For him, the efficiency is good enough from May to September. After that, it's just a fancy panel that does little at all.

Solar panels are great as long as you place them properly and adjust for the seasons. If not, you have a system that is not doing much at least half of the year.