[rickjames8]

Hello all,

My first post to this forum, but I've been a lurker for about a year.

I've always dreamt of building a self-contained solar powered vehicle. Seems the math won't allow that just yet. So then I thought about building a solar powered velomobile where the electric motor would just be an assist to pedal power. Right now these are all just ideas in my head - haven't had the time or money to get the tools out just yet.

Now, I've been reading a lot on the forum about gains of 10% by disconnecting an alternator from just about any car. And a lot of people then discussed removing the alternator and using deep cycle batteries to run on - some with solar charging. And then some discussion of even having 2 separate charging systems, one for primary functions and one for auxiliary functions.

But what about simply hooking up a solar panel to your existing system to reduce the alternator load on sunny days? I found a thread about this idea started back in 2008, and the main reason for not trying this was the cost involved with the panels and the aerodynamic impact. (I'm not allowed to link to the thread)

Its 2011 and solar panels have come down a lot in price, and I'd assume become a bit more efficient. Wouldn't hooking one up on your rear deck (or inside the hatchback area) reduce the load enough to make a difference?

It seems one person on the last page of the thread I mentioned tried it with some success, but no further comments were made on it.

Also, with the thin flexible panels available cheaply today, I'd think roof mounting could also be an option.

I'm just curious about what others think of the idea. If alternator loads can change FE so much, I'd think anything to lighten the load placed on it would have good results.

-Rick