Originally Posted by giantquesadilla

...Do you disconnect it when running your car? I think that the diode would allow it to be permanently connected. Also, the person who I bought it from said I could run the car while it is connected. However, the instructions say not to (but they say lots of things, like the blue LED is red). Just wondering what your personal opinion is.

Originally Posted by DoPeY5007

So would any one of these work?

Originally Posted by chkuttner

I know it's just wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't it be really nice if Honda would permit [as in, not void warranty] a hack that would allow either solar or AC-line charging of the IMA batteries?

Originally Posted by msantos

This post was submitted as per request for ChrisG and Steve.

My apologies for the (low light)pics ... it was overcast today.

First of all, I should emphasize the not so obvious first: This solar panel installation does NOT tap into the traction NiMH battery ! Instead, it is meant to keep the rather small (in size and capacity) 12V battery topped off.

Now, for the more obvious: My personal HCH-2 actually has two solar panels. One "permanently" mounted at the rear of the car (as shown in the following pic) and another that I have stowed inside which I use on the front dash when I feel like it.


Now for the above, I drilled a hole into the plastic trim and then ran the wiring to the trunk. From the trunk the single wire (+ve) was run past the rear seat into the cabin and then under the carpeting on its way to the fuse box.


Here's another view, this time from the rear right passenger seat. The solar panel is kept in place with double-sided adhesive (10mm) insulating foam and velcro... so that it is not only noiseless and easy to remove, but also slightly tilted to the back.


The following pic (not very clear - I'll take another one at a later time) is the fuse panel. I've connected the RED (+ve) feed from the solar panel(s) to this particular fuse position. If you notice, it is an empty fuse position but any other vacant fuse socket will do. Use a multimeter to make sure you plug it in to the correct fuse contact. In this case, the lower contact is the live rail.
The second wire from the solar panel can be connected to any good ground point in the car. For the rear mounted panel, I found a good ground in the trunk which enabled me to run the single wire (+ve) to the fuse panel.




The following pic shows the dangling connector for the second solar panel, which I mount on the front dash whenever I deem appropriate.




The following pic is a sample of the actual solar panel. I bought quite a few of these at Canadian Tire when they were on sale last year. Pretty good deal I must say. These units will output 40+ mA or more in a sunny day and will also produce good power in cloudy days too




Anyhow, that is all there is for the rather simple install. Does it work? It does for me. As some of you may suspect, it does have a small but measurable positive impact on fuel economy !
If you have a scangauge then watch it work by setting the reading to voltage. Better yet, place a small digital Ammeter (eBay for $20 or less) in series with the solar panel's (+ve) to see the actual current flow. My wife's newly arrived HCH-2 will get a similar install as well - as soon as I get some time to do it that is.

Cheers;

MSantos