What type of EV can use this rooftop-mounted solar charger?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could charge your electric vehicle simply by driving it? While we’re working on roads that can charge your car as you drive on them, widespread adoption of such technology is a long way off. Fortunately, there’s a solution while we wait.

The DartSolar system, developed by California-based inventor/Tesla-driver Omid Sadeghpour, is a 960-watt solar array that can be mounted to the roof of any EV. It’s composed of six 160-watt photovoltaic panels in three groups of two in a 4-mm-thick aluminum frame. The front and rear sets of panels rest one on top of the other in the middle when the vehicle is in motion, but once it’s parked they can slide out to expose all six panels to the sun.

The whole thing can add 5 kWh of power to the car’s battery per day, which equates to roughly 10 to 20 miles of driving depending on the vehicle and the conditions. There’s also a 120-volt outlet for charging other devices. At just 1.5 inches in height, the system only added 1 to 2 percent of drag on a Tesla Model Y, and it weighs in at 90 lbs. The first units are expected to ship to customers by the middle of 2025 at an estimated price of $2,950, though it should reportedly pay for itself in the first two years of use.