Why don't electric car manufacurers put solar panels on the car roofs?

Blubber28@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 198 points –

Honestly it seems like a no-brainer to me to put a solar panel on the roof of electric cars to increase their action radius, so I figured there's probably one or more good reasons why they don't.

Also, I acknowledge that a quick google could answer the question, but with the current state of google I don't want to read AI bullshit. I want an actual answer, and I bet there will be some engineers eager to explain the issues.

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What I have seen previously is that the amount of energy you get from the solar cells that you could fit on the top of the car is really small compared to what it takes to charge the battery.

Since there is minimal benefit, and it's costly to include them and wire them to the battery, it hasn't been viewed as worthwhile.

Yeah this is what I’ve heard as well. Aging Wheels goes into it a bit in this review of a concept car, kinda neat - it has pedals like a bicycle but the energy they add is a tiny fraction of what the thing needs to move.

https://youtu.be/DDmeqLEB9c0

Edit: oops, I’m combining two of his vids in my head, this one is just solar not pedals.

it has pedals like a bicycle

Are you taking about the Aptera from the video you linked?

If so, the Aptera doesn't have pedals like a bicycle. It's a fully electric vehicle (or it will be if it reaches production).