EV owners are constantly trying to work out ways to increase the range of their vehicles, and this guy in the US did something unprecedented with his Tesla Model 3.
He wanted to see if he could charge his car for free and, amazingly, he sort of managed it.
He did so using solar power in what is likely to remain a one-off experiment.
That’s because while it was a technically successful experiment, there were a couple of snags.
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This is how this guy added a solar roof to his Tesla Model 3
A YouTuber who goes by The Tech of Tech tried saving some money while charging his Tesla Model 3.
Actually, more accurately, the YouTuber installed portable panels on his roof made by a company called ‘Bluetti’.
His idea was pretty straightforward: he wanted to see if it was possible to charge an EV while you’re on the go.
The Tech of Tech
The portable 120W solar panels were connected to the EV via a 2kWh AC200P power station, and they were effective, but only technically.
In theory, his experiment worked, and he did manage to get ‘free’ miles using solar power.
In reality, this can’t be considered a good strategy.
Here’s why this one-off experiment is great for YouTube, but not so great for reality
The first problem is that even a small amount of shade will dramatically reduce charging capacity, which saw the YouTuber having to keep moving his Tesla for optimal charging.
Also, the charging only provided seven miles of range, and he had to keep repositioning the vehicle anyway.
Translated, it probably averaged out to only one mile of range per hour in good sunlight.
The Tech of Tech
All in all, he probably saved himself 50 cents for the whole day, so this would be a great solution if you want to save nickels upon nickels.
Was the experiment technically successful? Yes.
Was it great content? Yes.
Is it a feasible and realistic way to charge your car? Probably not.
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