Solar panels on roof to charge battery?

[jbkrsvca]

Hi! I'm buying my 2014 Spark EV from Carmax this week! Very excited to spend less in gas, however I live in an apartment complex, so I won't be able to charge overnight at home. I read somewhere that if I'm not charging at home, I'll spend about the same as I used to pay in gas.

If any of you with a Spark (or any EV) lives in an apartment complex, I welcome your tips and experience!

However, I'm really wondering if it's possible/feasible to stick a flexible solar panel on the top of the car and use it to charge the battery while it's parked out in the sun. Do you think it's possible with a solar panel like this?

https://hqsolarpower.com/100-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnuGNBhCPARIsACbnLzpoWZnZD2S1r9fjV886QXnckqdoJCQFtizmqUwamH-OHFS5aXop3EEaAtEwEALw_wcB

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[NORTON]

That 100 watt panel will only produce 100 watts during the high noon hour or so. It's less and less each side of high noon as the sun gets lower in the sky.
Then do the math.
100 watt going to a ~16,000 watt hour battery.
Plus it's a 12VDC panel. You need to get an inverter to get 120VAC.
Plus the EVSE (charger) is made to pass along 120VAC @ 8 Amps at its lowest setting. That's 960 watts.


Time to find free public L2 charging. Do you know the apps to use?
DCFC, if your car has this option, is always the most expensive way to buy electrons.

Maybe get a folding ebike to shuttle to your EV charging site.
Or come up with a stealth extension cord plan for the apartment complex.

 

[Porsche]

I read somewhere that if I'm not charging at home, I'll spend about the same as I used to pay in gas.

I really don't pay to charge away from home, but have done a few quick calculations. In my area, paying for a charge is still only half the price as buying gas for my Honda Civic (at 32mpg). Maybe a little more or less depending on the charging station. Charging at home is about four or five times cheaper than buying gas. YMMV

I charge at home most of the time. I have also located a few free chargers nearby. You can't beat free.