R1T Solar Tonneau - Custom Build

[wildelaw]

I have a 2023 R1T without a tonneau cover and was looking for manual cover options. The cheapest I found was $1000 and didn't want to spend that much without thinking about better options.

I crated a wrapped 3 panel plywood option with steal L beams for sag-prevention, but I was thinking I could do better. After a bit of engineering and sourcing different materials, I'm trying to construct a 4 panel solution with solar cells built in. Honestly the most power I could squeeze out of that space is 270 watts with the 6"x6" cells I picket up, but it could charge a small portable 1Kw battery that would run a cooler. This would only save about 2-3 miles of range per day, but it's not the practicality of what I'm building – it is the fun of engineering/building something for cheaper than retail. (estimated at $500 of materials).

I'm keeping a blog updated with the progress up in GitHub https://wildelaw.github.io/r1t-solar-tonneau/

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[mkhuffman]

I am watching your progress! Let us know how it goes.

 

[a99ieJem]

I dig it! Are you going for a folded design or individual panels needing to connect the solar pigtails at each joint? I suspect a folded design would be quite heavy.

I like the github page. I've never seen anyone use that before.

 

[Rivianero]

Very cool DIY!

If it keeps the 12v batteries topped off, that will be a win.

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