Rooftop EV solar box unravels to 6x its size, charging car off-grid

From humble beginnings as the solar hot dog cooker guys, all the way through to full-blown solarized camping trailers and tiny homes, GoSun has developed a knack for creating unique products that put the sun's power to work here on Earth. Its newest product promises to be its most revolutionary yet, providing an off-grid means of charging electric vehicles, both on the move and when parked. By opening up and unfurling the solar panels down the car's windshield, hood and trunk, the system multiplies charging power sixfold, providing a discernible in-field range boost without having to so much as look at a charging station or electrical socket.

GoSun's marketing team didn't strain their brains too far in naming the EV Solar Charger, but luckily its design team put in some extra work. The 70-lb (32-kg) 5-in-tall (12.7-cm) box sits atop the vehicle like a particularly slim rooftop cargo box, its own roof covered in 200 watts of solar panels.

At this point, the GoSun's charger box offers about as much capacity as the type of solar array that might come standard on an RV – enough to help charge a leisure battery while parked but not enough to put a dent in a large lithium traction battery.

That's okay, though – while the 200-W panel spread does provide some nominal charging while driving, the real magic comes when parked. The driver pops open the box and unfolds a scroll-like array of solar panels down the front and back of the vehicle, upping total available output to 1,200 watts once the box is secured back into closed position. Plug the 120-V output cable directly into the car's charging port and it'll deliver Level 1 charging straight from the sun. GoSun says the panels are designed to stay deployed through winds up to 30 mph (50 km/h), while the closed box is built for highway speeds up to 100 mph (160 km/h).

The EV Solar Charger box won't exactly replace an ultrafast charger, and GoSun estimates a daily range boost of up to 30 miles (50 km) in the right conditions. More likely, it says, you'll gain about 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km) on your average day. Still, those miles are added while the car is just parked at work or home and not otherwise charging, so it's certainly better than no miles at all. If your daily roundtrip is in that 10- to 30-mile range, then you could potentially meet your daily charging needs from solar power alone.

The GoSun EV charger isn't exactly the cleanest-looking solution, what with loose panels dangling all over the place, but it does provide a secondary benefit in shading the windshield and rear window from the sun, helping to keep the interior cooler on hot days. That could even boost efficiency a touch more, cutting the driver's reliance on air conditioning.

Of course, while the actual solar power is free and out there for the taking, the EV Solar Charger system will cost a pretty penny up front. It's currently available for preorder, and GoSun estimates retail pricing at $2,999. It says the system might be eligible for a 30% US tax credit, presumably through the federal government's Residential Clean Energy Credit that covers additions like home solar and battery storage systems. In that case, you'd have to integrate it into your home energy system; more information is available from the IRS.

GoSun plans to begin shipping preassembled EV Solar Chargers to buyers in 2025 so the system only requires a quick 20-minute mounting process for end users. The company says the system is meant to remain on full-time but can be removed easily when necessary.

If you're wondering what life will look like using a car-top solar blanket, check out the quick promo below.

Source: GoSun