Image: KDC Garage
The electric van has been a topic of discussion at Tesla for some time now. This kind of transport was mentioned in "Master Plan, Part Deux." Also, during the Q4 2020 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company will definitely make an electric van at some point. It has now become known that the Tesla van may even have solar panels.
Electric vans will indeed be a highly sought after product among many companies looking to become carbon neutral, so this segment is now actively developing. However, Tesla's van can be distinguished from competitors by having solar panels on the roof.
Musk joined Joe Rogan on the JRE Podcast and discussed a variety of topics including an electric van. He said that due to the design of the van, it might make sense to equip it with solar panels, while installing them on the manufacturer's existing models does not make sense.
Musk explained that equipping any Tesla vehicle currently on offer with solar panels would increase its vehicle cost, but would not provide enough benefit to drivers who would pay for the feature. The main problem is that passenger cars do not have enough space to install them. Another equally important point is that a car with solar panels should only be used in the correct climate (with lots of sunny days and long daylight hours) in order to be a really profitable solution to replenishing the car's battery and range.
At the same time, a van is a much larger vehicle and may have a flat surface at the top. Thanks to this, solar panels can be placed there, which may be advisable and useful. Musk said:
“Now, a van, because you have a big, flat area, that’s actually where solar could start to make a little more sense. You know, because you have a lot of area."
It seems that the van from Tesla will really be different and have a competitive advantage that will help owners save on charging, as well as help to become as carbon neutral as possible.
© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
