Last December, I dished details on a solar roof from Solar City that was being potentially sold as an accessory for the new Tesla Roadster. Since there are only a handful of Teslas actually currently on the streets, I’m not even sure if this roof even made it past the concept stage. Still, it’s good to see that others are thinking along the same lines.
Check out this setup from Envision Solar called the LifePort. It’s pretty much a DIY kit that consists of a 22 x 22-foot steel frame with some solar panels up top. Expected output is about 4.8 mwh per year — or just about the average energy a standard American home consumes in a year. According to Ecofriend, It comes with outlets compatible with all plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles that are on the market today.
Personally, I love these setups — especially for electric vehicles — because it means there is a clean energy closed loop for your transportation needs. Simply pull into your carport after work, plug your car in (I imagine some battery storage would be useful), and charge up using solar energy overnight.
There are no sales details yet on the LifePort, but we imagine we’ll hear more news on these types of “vehicle accessories” as more electric and plug-in hybrids hit the road in the coming years.
via Ecofriend
