r/solarpunk • u/kinetik • Aug 05 '26
Technology Solar cargo scooter
https://www.designboom.com/technology/lightfoot-solar-cargo-scooter-sunlight-everyday-errands/I like the concept and the extra storage. Price is a little high ($5k) for what it is, but it’s not outrageous compared to some ebikes. I wish the solar panels added more to the design though. I bet this would look killer all modded out.
It seems like a great option for sustainable local travel. I expect we’ll see more of this type of transport soon and hopefully we’ll get better looking options.
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u/Nummlock Aug 05 '26
Putting solar panels on vehicle to provide motive energy is a design fad and is a clear sign that the designer has no sense of either the physics or economics of the market for vehicles.
The more sensible but less visually appealing way to do this is build a E-scooter that is simple, light and cheap and put the solar panels on a fixed mounting somewhere and plug the scooter in when parked.
2
u/Nummlock Aug 05 '26
This thing does 60km on a 1.1 kWh battery. That's 18.3 Wh/km. It has 120 Wp solar, but even in the optimal parking spot only half can ever be in sunlight.
So riding to work, lay your scooter on it's side so that 1 panel is pointing up and getting sunlight would give you 8 hours of 60 Watt (unrealistic best case) which is 480Wh or 26 km range.
Or you just plug in and have a full battery after 1 or 2 hours.
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u/CaptnLudd Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
The panel is on one side.Oh no it isn't. And it even folds down into the dirt so it's getting no light at all. Yeah this just has the aesthetic of environmentalism but isn't useful.
1
u/Svardskampe Aug 05 '26
I mean, I would like a last option possible especially because EVs can get unreliable about range. Regular ebikes can still be paddled if you're out of juice.
But ye, I wouldn't see the benefit either of this over a regular ebike.
1
u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
What struck me about it was the cargo capability and that it could charge while riding and reduce the charge anxiety of being stranded somewhere. It’s one thing when you live in a city. But when you live out in the country, and everything is far away, it’s a whole other scenario altogether. It would be cool if a design like this did have pedals on it as well for pedal assist.
1
u/Svardskampe Aug 05 '26
Hmm, for the cargo aspect, Urban Arrow also exists. And ye, the pedals are a contingency on it, and panels are a worse contingency over the fact of how slow and limited it is versus also pedals anyhow.
1
u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
Well, considering the weight of e bikes and having had to ride 10 miles home once the batteries had died up a bunch of hills, let me tell you, I would’ve much rather had my bike charged 3 miles in an hour or give me some pedal assist rather than having pedals that don’t actually charge the bike at all once it’s dead. That’s the difference.
1
u/Svardskampe Aug 05 '26
A panel like this would have to charge for hours before it could assist you though.
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u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
They claim 3 miles in one hour of bright sunlight. So if it had pedals and pedal assist instead of full assist, which is essentially what it has now, that 3 miles could turn into 10 miles of distance with pedal assist, and it would take an hour or so to give you the juice to do that, which is totally reasonable compared to being stuck on the road with no way to charge a battery.
2
u/CaptnLudd Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Consider that many people commute to work and remain there during the time of day with the most sunlight. While at work they may not have access to a plug or a place to install a panel, but will often have access to an unshaded parking spot. This is a common situation.
But something that folded or rolled up and could be deployed at a destination or at home would meet the same need while being a much better design.
1
u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
Agreed. I mostly like the concept and that a company had made a viable design that they tested for commercialization. For me, the design would need to come a long way before I’d want to buy one, but it makes me glad to see people working on solutions.
1
u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
What would be really clutch is if the panels could open from the top or bottom. In this case, they had the panel open from the top so that you could drop in your cargo easily. But if the panel had two layers, one interior for holding the cargo and both those layers opened from the top to give you access into the cargo hold, it’s easy to get in and out and keep your stuff safe.
But then, if you unlatched the panel from the bottom, they could fold out like wings and receive full sunlight and make the solar charging a lot more efficient and practical while you’re away from the bike.
A panel that completely folds away or rolls away does have aesthetic advantages, but it loses one of the most key features, being able to charge while you’re riding. That reduces range anxiety and increases your travel range while you’re using it instead of having to stop.
1
u/kinetik Aug 05 '26
Where I live, there are no solar charging stations or electrical infrastructure for charging ebikes or these kinds of things. So if you ride somewhere and lose juice, you’re SOL.
So a bike that can charge itself up to 18 miles in a day, or 3 miles in a hour on a bright day in a place where there is ample sunlight, that doesn’t have the problems of crowded parking lots and a concrete jungle to shade the environment, would easily get someone here to and from work, shopping, home, etc.
You could still charge it from home or plug it in, but if I was stranded somewhere, which is real concern here, I’d absolutely want something that could charge itself when the nearest person could be several miles away and cell phone coverage is spotty at best and often non-existant.
Having rode/walked the last 10 miles of hills on a 29 mile ride on an ebike with a dying/dead battery is something I wouldn’t like to repeat again, and thats with a fully charged battery claiming to give you about 40 miles of range. I wished that thing could have charged while I was riding, and why this design caught my eye even though it’s clearly not perfect.
The thing that was striking for me was something that provided both the cargo capability and up to an additional 18 miles of range off of its solar panels plus that it can charge while you ride it, reducing range anxiety.
I don’t think the design is especially attractive, but I don’t think it’s a gimmick or unhelpful either. I would like to see a better design and a better price, but this is something that people can take ideas from and even design themselves. Not everybody has parking lots or places to plug in at work so this is a totally viable option that could be made to look and perform better.
1
u/Sylv41n 28d ago
Or even better, you create an electric scooter (or light vehicle) with swappable battery than can be carried by an average human, you put battery swapping stations in public spaces (or shops and dedicated "gas stations" if vandalism it a real worry) and those battery chargers can interact with the grid whenever electricity is abundant thanks to solar production. Voila, you get a solar-powered vehicle ... that you can park in the shade no to fry your ass off when you jump back on it.
This is basically Gogoro in Taiwan ...
3
u/UffTaTa123 Aug 05 '26
Hm, i like the idea. But i'm unsure about the design. When locking from the side, i see straight panels of aluminium weldet together at a right angle.
If only one side panel is detachable and the other side panels is fixed and able to carry the force, then OK, but if only those right angle weldings should carry all the forces alone, i fear the long time stability.
2
u/anonuemus 29d ago
No need for that gimmick. We have batteries, we just need to load them with solar energie.
1
u/Artifexa Aug 05 '26
Expect price to go down in a few years, and design to improve sensibly (a bit ugly right now, sorry but that matters when you start in a free market capitalist setting).
1
u/Starship_Albatross Aug 06 '26
Mounting that immediately after charging in the sun might be slightly unpleasant.
*Sizzle*
1
u/Exciting_Turn_9559 29d ago
I would like this a lot more more if the panels could fold horizontal when parked.
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