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Old 07-30-2013, 04:05 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Solar Citicar



Hey Guys,

Lately, I've been playing with solar.

I live a bit west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, and found a while back that there is a domestic Solar Panel Manufacturer right in Milwaukee!

I borrowed one of their solar panels while I was at the MREA Energy Fair about a month ago. The panel is rated for outputting to 48V battery systems. I had my motorcycle there (which is 48V) and I was able to charge the bike all weekend with the panel.

After visiting a friend of my parents', who had some older solar panels for sale, I first wanted to check the cost of buying a new one. So, I gave Helios a call, and ended up ordering a 405 watt/48V B-stock panel for $364.

I rigged it up to a charge controller, and am now charging my Citicar!



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Last edited by bennelson; 07-30-2013 at 04:07 PM.. Reason: added links
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Old 07-30-2013, 04:46 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Sounds pretty cool Ben. I can't see the videos at work so I might be missing it. How are you preventing overcharging?
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Old 07-30-2013, 04:57 PM   #3 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
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Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

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Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
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I have a Xantrex C40 solar charge controller.

It controls the charge to the Citicar (or Motorcycle) and prevents overcharging. I have gels in the Citicar, which are a little picky about charging voltage, so I did turn down the bulk voltage on the charge controller a bit.
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Old 07-30-2013, 09:46 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Looks like fun, Ben!

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batteries, charging, citicar, electric, photovoltaic, solar, solar car

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