Because solar panels are easiest to manufacture flat, cars are a pretty poor substrate for them. However, pickup trucks—often seen as a symbol of energy guzzlers—actually provide the perfect platform. Most pickup trucks have beds with level sidewalls. Worksport, an American manufacturer of tonneau covers, reckons that’s the perfect platform for their forthcoming Solis Solar Tonneau Cover.
The company claims the Solis can generate up to 650W of power that can add 2,050 miles of range, in a year, to an electric pickup. The power gathered from the panels is fed into their Cor Hub unit, a portable power station that sits in the bed. A cable running from the Cor Hub can then be used to trickle-charge your truck at Level 1 charging, so this system is for drivers with patience.
Alternatively, Solis could be used in any truck, including gas-powered ones, in order to turn the Cor Hub into a portable power station delivering free energy. The Cor Hub can be configured with multiple batteries, maxing out at a 4000W peak power output with a 3000 Wh storage capacity, allowing it to run even refrigerators or air conditioners, the company claims.
The company has been working on this for about a decade, and says they’re ready to launch the Solis this fall. They’re currently soliciting $25 deposits for pre-orders but, puzzlingly, have not yet named a full price.