Tesla previews solar-powered ‘trailer’ as Elon Musk’s company no longer top electric car seller
Photos on Twitter showed a Tesla-branded trailer with an array of solar panels on top
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Your support makes all the difference.Photos have emerged of an apparent solar-powered, battery-boosting trailer for Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) as news broke that Elon Musk’s company had lost its top sales spot to a rival.
The photos, posted to Twitter, showed a trailer with the Tesla logo topped with a solar panel array. One panel was on top of the trailer and two additional panels fanned out over a set of wheels, complete with two red lights.
The images were taken at a tech expo in Germany, according to reports, and led to speculation that the trailer could be used to extend the EVs’ range.
Electrek, a transportation blog, suggested that the product was simply built for the expo, and is not necessarily a product that will be brought to the consumer market.
The Independent has reached out to Tesla for comment.
According to the Twitter user who posted the images, the trailer is connected to Starlink. The internet service is powered by satellites and operated through SpaceX, also founded by Mr Musk.
Solar panels could theoretically power an EV as it drives, and extend the mileage a driver gets on a single battery charge. However it’s unclear just how much power this kind of trailer could generate.
In a back-of-the-envelope calculation, Electrek figured that based on the estimated size of the photovoltaic panels in the photo, less than 50 miles (80 km) of range would be added per day.
Tesla’s website states that their four current vehicle models get between 272 and 405 miles (438 – 652 km) of range. The company also sells solar power equipment like panels for homes.
Despite recent advances in battery technology and charging infrastructure, EV range remains a concern for some potential customers.
The EV market is growing rapidly nonetheless. In 2021, there were more than 4.6 million sales of battery electric cars worldwide — more than double 2020 sales, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Almost three million vehicles were sold in China, up from just under a million in 2020.
On Tuesday, news broke that Tesla had lost its ranking as the world’s top seller of EVs to BYD, a Chinese manufacturer backed by the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, run by American billionaire Warren Buffet.
In the first half of 2022, BYD has sold 641,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, compared to Tesla’s 564,000.
The IEA projects almost 22 million battery electric car sales in 2030, with over 10 million of those in China.
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