Quote:
Originally Posted by Scimitar
It is not too complicated to get an idea about the maximum theoretical savings.
Assume that your solar charger provides 40mA for 10hrs straight, and that it can be completely used to charge the 12V battery.
Remember that:
Watts = I x U and Joules = Watts x seconds
Then: 40mA x 12 V = 0,48W
0,48W x 10 hrs x 3600 sec = 17280 Joules, or 17KJ
The enthalpy of a liter of gas is approx. 33MJ, therefore 17KJ equates to 0,5ml of gas.
Assume that your ICE has an efficiency of around 20%, then it takes 5 x 0,5 ml = 2,5 ml of gas to generate 17kJ of output.
2,5 ml is about 1/2 a teaspoon. That's what you could save, on a sunny day. It would take about 4 years to save 1 gallon of gas in total, so I don't think it makes economical sense to install this solar charger, but I think it makes good fun.
EDIT: Just picked up my HCHII today! After 4 months Japan has finally shipped some to Europe.
Mine is Galaxy Grey with a grey leather interior.
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this is assuming best case, that the 12v system will TAKE all the charge provided by the solar, this seems very unlikely. so best case is 1/2 a teaspoon. An average case would seem to be a fraction of that.
i would like to say that despite the fact that the benefits may be dubious, its still neat. If someone would just figure out a way to separate the high voltage pack from the electrical system and then charge it I would be happy.