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Towing solar panels
I’m a solar professional in Belize and excited at the “open source” ideology expressed by the Aptera team (eg DIY repairs). I live in Belize and support here will be lacking….so this is a very important aspect of a purchase decision like this. I’m also an avid DIY’er and am very curious about this statement…..I love the idea of road tripping towing a small trailer with several more solar panels to increase my daily solar range…. Would Aptera be willing to discuss the DC charging capabilities of the onboard port? Will it be possible to array solar on a trailer for increased charging-while-driving? I could easily build a trailer with an additional 1.2KW of solar to nearly triple my daily solar range (3x400W panels), but the DC voltage would only be about 132V nominal….would this be usable? Any more details would be appreciated, thanks.
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Towing solar panels
Jeremiah Allen updated 1 year, 1 month ago 7 Members · 13 Replies -
This is a solar golf cart I built in 2020….sold it to a couple who use it almost everyday and have never charged it with an external charger…
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We know for sure that towing capability will not be a part of the production Aptera at this time. It may be added at a later date. I believe there was a plan to support the plug in of additional solar panels, but suspect that will not be included in the currently spect’d LE.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by
John Malcom. Reason: Correct spelling
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by
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Towing anything will destroy the range of the Aptera, much more so than for other vehicles. What makes Aptera work is it’s ultra low coefficient of drag, if you do anything to disrupt that you’ll drastically reduce the range. If you want to transport solar panels for use when the car is stationary then put them inside the vehicle.
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With a simple lightweight aluminum frame & wheels, I think weight could easily be kept under 400lbs. And with the aerodynamic design of the Aperta, you would just need to design the trailer to keep the flow inline with the design. Here’s a rough sketch of what I’m imagining… I think it would be fairly simple to add something that was able to contribute far more than it consumed (energy-wise).
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Don’t forget that you’ll need tail, brake, turn signal, and plate lights on the trailer. Even though they will be under the trailer frame, there will be some drag. Also, the wheels will add drag unless you put pants on them like the Aptera’s front wheels.
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Of course… 😎
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An interesting idea, A light weight two wheeled trailor with just flat panels on it would not cause much drag, especialy at speeds at or below 45 MPH and at 20 MPH in midday sun may supply energy as fast as it is being used.
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Agreed, check my sketch above…
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LOL! I think not a lot of practical value here as payoff for a lot of effort and expense. If done as a DYI hobby project probably OK, but no as a serious enhancement for an Aptera. Thee will be no towing capability on the initial Apterae production vehicles, most likely no place to plug in additional solar panels, and the weight and resistance of the trailer plus panels will more than negate the extra “Juice” from the towed solar cells.
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You can add a trailer hitch to the Aptera by building a custom bracket the ties into the “bunk” and extends out comming out just below the rear camera.
It should be easy to add your own port to tie into the solar charging system.
We don’t know much about the built in solar charger but it is definitely capable of receiving 700w as that is what comes onboard the Aptera. Instead of adding drag by pulling a trailer I would built as strong of a trailer hitch as possible than extend the solar panels straight out the back. Keep in mind they will swing out when turning so not too long of an extension.
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Riley, you have the same idea I have for the trailer hitch, but your idea for extended panels is even better. Belize may not have really smooth roads so the extended panels may have to be hinged at the tail and a single swivel wheel extended below. I like your pictures. Are you an engineer in hiding?
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Not an engineer just spend too much time thinking about what can be done to my aptera once I take delivery.
I’ve also thought about a single wheel trailer but that would require a special trailer coupling that doest allow twisting than building pants around the wheel. Don’t think the added effort and weight will pay off unless the onboard solar charger can handle all the extra solar.
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