This Solar-Powered RV Runs Without Fuel Or Charging Stations

[Naio]

Link.

[mike-s]

Naio wrote:
Given that most of the solar is on the sides, it would take advantage of sunrise to sunset solar power, right? Assuming you camp on a flat desert or beach :B.

So, about 3 days to charge, not 10.

I don't think so. The article claims "up to" 3000 watts. I'd bet they're simply adding up all the solar panels, so you'd only get that if it was illuminated by suns from all sides. Even if it is realistic, solar irradiance is limited by atmospheric attenuation when the sun is low, so you still can't claim sunrise to sunset. And don't forget to account for overcast weather.

[tatest]

3000 watts is about 5 horsepower, so it will not be running very fast after the first 100 miles. However 100 miles is a good distance in Western Europe, and sitting in camp for several days could recharge for the trip home, but plugging in to another source 4KW to 8KW would speed things along.

The electric vehicle side of this is reasonable for the right market (my most used campground is a 40 mile round trip) but the solar charging is at a sort of concept vehicle stage, something to take to the RV show.

[Naio]

Given that most of the solar is on the sides, it would take advantage of sunrise to sunset solar power, right? Assuming you camp on a flat desert or beach :B.

So, about 3 days to charge, not 10.

Driving 100 miles every 3 days while boondocking, with some nights at electric sites, is about my speed!

I would certainly bring along my current 500 ah of agms, though.

[MDKMDK]

It comes with an optional Blue Ox base plate. :B

[Ductape]

pianotuna wrote:
Drive battery is 91200 watt-hours (or 91.2 KWH). Could be charged by 50 amp service in 7.2 hours

or

31 hours of perfect solar.

So that’s about 100 miles every ten days, less whatever power is used by the house.

That’s going to be a long slow cross country trip. A team of horses could do better.

[Traveler7]

This is kind of cool, but I would prefer a decent Hybrid Camper Van with a 50 mpg performance and a long, long range

[mike-s]

pianotuna wrote:
More info here:

https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2017/08/26/dethleffs-electric-drive-motorhome-with-victron-onboar...

Well, there you go - "3 x 76 Ah at 400 V". So, ~90K Wh. Assume 2 hours to travel that 100 mile range = ~45 kW @ 50 mph. That 3 kW of solar isn't going to add much.

[pianotuna]

Drive battery is 91200 watt-hours (or 91.2 KWH). Could be charged by 50 amp service in 7.2 hours

or

31 hours of perfect solar.

[Lwiddis]

It’s a beginning. Wonderful things await us.

[Naio]

For someone who travels like me, little driving and lots of camping in the sun, it might work :).

I would need to cover the sides with tarps or something, though, on a lot of the roads I use. Good point, kerrlakeRoo.

Surely that is a typo on the battery size? Maybe missing a zero?

[pianotuna]

More info here:

https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2017/08/26/dethleffs-electric-drive-motorhome-with-victron-onboar...

The "house" seems to have its own battery bank of 24 volts and 7200 watt hours, with an inverter/charger

[Old-Biscuit]

Common guys.......he is just a 'cub reporter' out on his first BIG assignment

Jimmy Olsen didn't do much better :B


Actually not much different then some of the junk spewed by 'seasoned journalist'

Write some info down then try and sound like you know what it is .....:S

[mike-s]

Meh. "...chassis with a 107-horsepower electric motor. The motorhome would have a range just shy of 100 miles if it wasn’t covered in solar panels, but it is. Those babies can make up to 3,000 watts of electricity for its 228-Ah battery. In other words, you’re all good to just keep on going."

Someone needs to tell the author that 3000 W is only 4 horsepower. That's not going to get you far. And, giving the Ah capacity of the batteries provides no useful info. What's the watt-hour capacity? Know that, and how long it takes to cover those 100 miles, and you can figure out how many watts it actually needs to travel.

[Ductape]

"The RV is built on the company’s Iveco Daily Electric chassis with a 107-horsepower electric motor. The motorhome would have a range just shy of 100 miles if it wasn’t covered in solar panels, but it is. Those babies can make up to 3,000 watts of electricity for its 228-Ah battery. In other words, you’re all good to just keep on going."

LOL. Technical knowledge is seriously lacking on the part of this writer(?). I'm too lazy to do the math on how much travel it can do on a 3kW PV system, but it's not much.

But thanks for posting, I do find advances in technology interesting.

[kerrlakeRoo]

I'm imagining the cost to repair after a parking lot ding in the wrong spot, or one time of being forced to detour onto a dirt road.