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[Punos]

Hi folks, I've been viewing for awhile and decided to join the forum. I'm very interested in buying a Zero next year...I'm considering the XU or the DS. I have a question though:

Is is possible to install a solar panel on the back of a Zero so when I'm riding the bike is constantly charging simultaneously? I understand that the energy spent riding vs. the energy gained by charging (assuming ideal solar conditions...I'm moving to the USA to a city called "Tucson" in Arizona next year. It looks like ideal riding conditions) might not even out. If I have the right panel and great conditions, perhaps I could get better range with a panel on the back that constantly charged, that would be awesome. Is that possible? To take it a step further...if I have the right panel hooked up that charges when I ride, perhaps I could ride forever and never stop?

Thanks!

[Brammofan]

Nope.

[firepower]

The solar panel might be able to power your smart phone.
Now compare the size of your phone battery and the bike battery.
approx 10W vs 10,000W



 



 

[grindz145]

If you were lost on a deserted island (or desserted island...mmmm) a 100 watt panel could charge the 8.4kwh battery in rough 90 hours, assuming a decent charging efficiency. A 100 watt panel would be a pretty large panel to fit on the bike.


the good news is that Tuscon has a fantastic solar resource, and if you install panels on your house, you could make very good use of that energy. 

[trikester]

Terry (offthegrid) had a small solar panel on the back of the bike when he did the long cross-country ride last year. It fed directly to the batteries without any over charge or balancing protection. It was very low power but he told me that a couple of times when he ran out just short of a town he sat for several hours in the sun and gained enough charge to make it to town. I may have the story screwed up but that is how I understood it.

He did not want to share details about this because someone could wreak their battery if they left this connected when the battery was fully charged, or there was an imbalance. He did not want to encourage anyone to do this.

Trikester

[protomech]

You could wire up a 1' x 2' tiltable panel to the back of the Zero. It should be good for about 0.3 amps at 85V (~25w) and would weigh about five pounds.

After an hour of charging in direct sunlight, you'd have an extra 20 Wh back in the battery, which would take you about half a mile at 15-20 mph.

Over an eight hour workday, depending on latitude, you could probably pick up 3-5 miles of range at those low speeds .. 100-160 Wh, or equivalent to about 10-15 minutes of charging from the wall.

Edit: adjusted estimates downward .. 15-20 mph is probably in the range of 40-50 Wh/mile in real traffic .. which gives a ZF9 bike a range of 160-200 miles

Note that the extra weight and aerodynamic penalty of a large fixed panel may ultimately end up making the bike less efficient.. on a long ride, you might end up losing more range due to the panel than you gain. Notably, Terry doesn't have those panels wired up to his bike now.

Solar on-bike is a great idea. It's just not super practical in a motorcycle application; you either need far more solar power, or you need a more efficient vehicle, ie an electric bike.

Other threads where this has been discussed:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2897.0
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2206.0

[frodus]

Its typically better to have solar at your home that is grid tied and have that put energy back into the grid and pay you. Then you can charge at night.... And it ends up costing you nothing overall.