- New York-based aftermarket company Worksport is preparing to launch a solar tonneau cover for the Rivian R1T.
- The solar cover has a maximum output of 650 watts.
- It's designed to fill up a secondary battery but can also work as an emergency Level 2 charger.
The idea that you could power an electric car for free using the sun’s energy is very appealing. Aptera has been trying for a good number of years to bring its (mostly) solar-powered EV to the market. Bankrupt Fisker fitted a solar panel on the roof of the ill-fated Ocean crossover, an idea that was also put into practice by Toyota with the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime.
Soon though, owners of the adventure-oriented Rivian R1T electric pickup will also get the chance to power stuff up using free energy from the sun. That’s because Worksport, a New York-based company specializing in aftermarket tonneau covers, is working on a solar bed cover made specifically for the American battery-powered truck.
Called the Solis folding solar tonneau cover, it’s made from three or four individual solar panels that fold on top of each other to access the bed. According to its maker, it has a maximum power output of 650 watts, which isn’t exactly impressive from an EV charging point of view, but that’s not necessarily its point.
While it can work as a Level 2 last-mile charger for the R1T, the main purpose of the solar tonneau cover is to recharge a secondary, smaller battery for things like tools, an induction cooktop or laptops. Worksport said the Solis is part of a so-called Truck Bed Power System that also includes a battery, a solar controller and an inverter. The setup’s battery has a capacity of 1.5 kilowatt-hours and can output a maximum of 2 kilowatts, but more batteries can be added to increase the storage capacity.
The company claims a single battery needs two and a half hours to recharge from the sun using the large, four-panel cover and that EV owners will save roughly $500 per year by not having to top-up their cars at DC fast chargers. Presumably, there’s an asterisk in there somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
There’s also the issue of availability. As of this writing, Worksport’s solar tonneau cover is still a work in progress. Last month, the company began its Alpha stage where roughly 100 solar covers were produced for testing purposes. The second phase, Beta, is expected to start this year, while mass-market production is slated for sometime next year, assuming everything goes to plan.
