Rivian Solar Charging

[seatosummit]

Nobody remembers DC Solar?

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/06/dc-solar-power-ponzi-scheme-scandal/673782/

There are still a bunch of them floating around as they were auctioned off as part of the bankruptcy.

We received several of their trailers for upfitting after they folded. The array configuration and battery tech was pretty anemic. It struggled to charge even my EV conversion 914 that had a cumulative 15kWh of energy. Still kinda cool looking though!

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[emoore]

This is never be a reality with current silicon solar cell technology. Just doesn't make enough energy per area.

 

[seatosummit]

If you are highly motivated and patient, PV-based travel is possible, albeit impractical :

 

[Hillbilly]

I mounted a wind turbine on my R1T that recharges the batteries. I've got 30k miles on the truck in a year and I've not had to plug in once.

 

[majorfriend]

Early on in '22, I had designed an 8 panel folding setup that would set on the bedrails. I never actually built it because, in the end, if you were out in the middle of nowhere, most would have an RTT on board and this would just get complicated. Putting it in the bed for assembly in the field would not be a fun thing imo. Putting it on a trailer, you could make more capacity, but then you are pulling a trailer and killing your range. Kind of a defeating endeavor. It would take a long while to recover the costs too, likely longer than the life of the vehicle.

Any chance you still have the plans around? I'd love something that I could put together and keep at home. I could put in the work to design it myself, but if you already have....

Or maybe you were just working on the folding components and not the actual solar hardware.

 

[LivingInKaos]

Any chance you still have the plans around? I'd love something that I could put together and keep at home. I could put in the work to design it myself, but if you already have....

Or maybe you were just working on the folding components and not the actual solar hardware.

I'll have to check my archives when I get back to the shop tomorrow and see if I kept it. I usually don't toss digital designs.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Hey Everyone,

Due to health issues, it has been a LONG, LONG time since I posted here.

I'd really like to take my R1T to Mexico sooner rather than later.

Is there any news on Rivian solar chargers (think rollout frunk, cab, and bed/tailgate panels), so that I don't have to worry.

Thanks,

Jake

Not going to work. Unless you have a largish solar array charging a large powerbank by day, like an Anker 3800 (or greater), which can take 2400W solar input. Then, charge the truck with the powerbank by night (either 120 or 240V)... AND over multiple days. Then and only then could you get significant charge into the truck.

 

[NY_Rob]

Forget anemic solar panels, go cold fusion or go home!

 

[ohseedee]

I’ve been playing with this idea recently. I have a small diy off-grid solar shed situation that I needed to relocate. Before I setup the panels in the new location I did a soft fit on my R1T. I was able to fit 300 watts on the racks on the bed, 300 watts on the roof, and 300 watts on my diy plywood tonneau cover that I’m able to slide out from under the bed racks. So 600 watts in motion and 900 watts parked of solar easily mounted on the truck. I had it charging up batteries in my diy solar generator that holds about 2.4kW in the batteries. By timing the charging right I was able to output (via 120v charging) about 4kW per day into the truck. That translates to about 8 miles per day. In a pinch I could also draw the 2.4KW of batteries dead and get maybe 10 miles in a day. Not enough for normal driving and the drag from the panels would negate any charge I’d get, but it might be a good way to offset losses during a camping / off-roading trip where you are using power for cooking and other things. Ultimately not super practical, but I’m tempted to hard mount them the next time I go camping and see what it’s like.

 

[logan]

I'm trying to plan a trip to Baja and the only thing I've seen so far are very few destination chargers.

Probably won't work for your travel plans but, depending, you might also look at campgrounds with hook ups. Like say if you have a roof top tent or trailer. I can usually charge our truck while glamping with our airstream. Airstream goes into the 30a and the rivian into the 50a.

Once I have been asked to not charge using the 50a but that was in the morning after I was already almost fully charged. Most of the places have not cared. Even in the places where the parent chain said no when I asked locally they said that's fine or use the empty spot near you. (Now days I usually ask ahead of time if I am choosing between 50a or 30a spots. No point in paying extra for a 50a spot if they won't let me charge.)

Anyway, another option to consider for some routes.

 

[JeremyP]

This couple circled the majority of Africa, charging a bit more than half the time using flexible solar panels and a custom dc-dc charge controller so they didn't need to carry extra batteries. It's cool to see that it can work when you have enough time to travel slowly.
https://4x4electric.com/

 

[igor47]

i'm planning on setting up a solar array to keep the rivian charged up during burning man. i'd love if i could use the in-truck AC to take air-conditioned naps for a week and still be able to get back to a charger afterwards. been researching solar inverters, and super-curious about DC-to-DC or battery-free ones, so i don't have to get a whole separate battery just to keep the charge controller happy. i'm also pretty annoyed about converting DC solar power into AC just so I can plug in my portable charger which feeds AC to the on-board inverter to convert back to DC charge the batteries. would be nice to get direct DC battery access -- but maybe then i would need 400V DC, which sounds.... not safe.

i saw some battery-free solar inverters that take backup generator/grid power to stabilize their output, and briefly considered plugging that side of the inverter into the rivian's built-in outlets. this also somehow seems like a bad idea.

 

[Joules Burn]

i'm planning on setting up a solar array to keep the rivian charged up during burning man. i'd love if i could use the in-truck AC to take air-conditioned naps for a week and still be able to get back to a charger afterwards. been researching solar inverters, and super-curious about DC-to-DC or battery-free ones, so i don't have to get a whole separate battery just to keep the charge controller happy. i'm also pretty annoyed about converting DC solar power into AC just so I can plug in my portable charger which feeds AC to the on-board inverter to convert back to DC charge the batteries. would be nice to get direct DC battery access -- but maybe then i would need 400V DC, which sounds.... not safe.

i saw some battery-free solar inverters that take backup generator/grid power to stabilize their output, and briefly considered plugging that side of the inverter into the rivian's built-in outlets. this also somehow seems like a bad idea.

These folks have a direct DC to L2 charger but it is not inexpensive....

https://enteligent.com/products/enteligent™-tlcev-t1-trusted-charging-presale

 

[igor47]

These folks have a direct DC to L2 charger but it is not inexpensive....

https://enteligent.com/products/enteligent™-tlcev-t1-trusted-charging-presale

$2300 -- pricey, but in-line with what I'm seeing out there today. this is the closest one i've found on amazon: https://amzn.to/3WbTgCN and it's $2500 for the 12kW one, though i would save by getting the 8kW version since no way am i going to be anywhere near 12kW of solar. the benefit of the amazon one is running solar at 48v, which is safer than the enteligent's requirement of 320v, though of course higher voltage means lower amperage means smaller wires/less heat.

it's actually a pretty cool project, i wonder if i could get it by august, thanks!

 

[Yossarian]

Don't want to hijack what is actually a quite informative thread, but did want to push back on the notion that vehicle-mounted solar charging is impractical at present technology levels. That's not universally true, though you need to temper expectations somewhat as the range gains from using existing technology solar panels with the batteries presently available are going to be relatively modest.

There is actually one vehicle that may soon (emphasis on both the "may" and "soon") be available that appears to have a reasonably effective solar array, the Aptera. The company claims that their vehicle can get up to 40 miles of extended range via solar charging, and their claim seems fairly plausible. The Aptera is a three-wheeled, two seater however, so not appealing to everyone. Thanfully, it's not a reincarnation of the late, not-terribly-beloved Reliant Robin in EV form, though both cars use(d) non-metal bodies.

Folks are right to be skeptical however, not so much regarding the claimed added range, more that the Aptera will actually make it to market. Aptera has tried and failed before, and they are not the best capitalized advent car company. Aptera appears to have gotten much, if not the majority of their capital via crowd funding, and their numbers are quite modest, totaling only in the eight figure range. Still, their vehicle is innovative, very eco-friendly and could be a great solution for many who commute solo.

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to own up to having a reservation for an Aptera. The amount at risk is however, laughably small: the nominal cost for a reservation is $100, but you usually can get in through a special offer at $70.

Now that I'm old, I was considering getting a Ural two-wheel drive 3 wheeler to replace the other motorcycles in my stable (though nothing will make me part with my '78 Ducati Darmah.) The Ural would still allow me to have fun and more importantly, to take my two Welshies along in the sidecar. The Aptera can mostly take the place of the Ural however, and though it may not have the same fun-factor, it will be a pretty big plus to not need raingear.

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