I'm looking to charge my 2017 Prius Prime with solar energy but I'm not sure how to set it up. Can I just get a solar kit with a battery, charge the battery with solar energy, and then plug it into the J1772 connector? I do have a cord from the dealer that lets me plug the car into any outlet, but my apartment doesn't have outdoor access for directly plugging in my car. What are the best options here?
3 Answers
It's doable but might not be worth the hassle or cost. To charge your car with solar energy, you would need a big enough setup. Think about needing a substantial battery and at least 4 solar panels to make this practical. It's a large investment in both space and equipment.
To charge your Prius effectively, you'll likely need multiple large batteries just to keep up. The 2017 Prius Prime has an 8.8kWh battery, and a decent portable battery can be less than 3kWh. Plus, charging those batteries with solar panels requires a good amount of sunlight — a 200W panel might take a full day just to charge a single battery.
It sounds like you're aiming to keep your Prius mainly electric. However, you might run into some issues with charging. If you live in an apartment, installing a large solar array could be tough. You typically need a significant amount of solar panels and battery storage just to charge the car effectively, and it's not something you can set up easily on a smaller scale.
Exactly! Unless you're using very little energy, it's going to take a lot of equipment to keep your car charged. Plus, a single 200W panel won't provide enough power to charge your car efficiently.