ICP Solar to integrate solar chargers into Nissans, dead batteries be gone

Nah, ICP Solar isn't trying to help create the next solar-powered automobile (at least not with this initiative). Instead, it's looking to all but eliminate the hassle of returning to a vehicle with a dead battery. Said outfit has just entered into a sales agreement with both the European and North American branches of Nissan for OEM solar chargers, which would essentially juice up one's main battery while the sun beams down in a grocery store parking lot. Curiously, there's no mention of what vehicles this will be integrated into, so we'll just throw caution to the wind and expect to see 'em on every last motorcar it produces in 2009.

[Via CNET]

[Samboini @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:12AM]

Most dead batteries arise from people leaving there lights on, which highlights 2 main flaws:

1: if you leave your lights on, chances are it is night therefore no sunlight...

2: i'm sure the power generated by this thing is much less than the power usage of car headlights.

[protodeka @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:33AM]

Simple solution - if the amperage in the battery dips below a particular point (say, 10 amperes), then turn off the lights. Nothing in these newer cars is controlled by an actual control rod anymore, save for maybe the emergency brake.

[bartoron @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:33AM]

Actually, I would assume that most people accidentally leave their lights on during the day. At night it's easy to see if a light is on, but during the day when it's sunny out, you might not notice if a light is on.

[Randy @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:54AM]

Thuis problem is already solved. Most Nissan cars (at least from '03 onward and i imagine other mfrs' too,) have an auto setting for the lights that will turn the lights on when ambient light dips below a certain threshold (i.e entering a tunnel, garage, and at sunset, etc. It will also turn them off when the ambient light increases and also turns them off 1 minute after you shut the car off and remove the key from the ignition.

[SimbaDogg @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:40PM]

this is so off topic, but i'm posting anyways.

But when i was in high school about 8 years ago, i told one of our campus security guys (hermie old retired marine from vietnam) that one of the students left their lights on in the parking lot. he just looked at me and said, "eh...dont worry about it, they're doing the new diehard battery test." i laughed my ass off actually. but after school is was pretty shitty to see the girl walking around to see if anyone had jumper cables. looking back on it, i realize just how classically lazy hermie was. funny guy

[Frun @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:13AM]

I don't see how this could help with a dead battery. We all know car batteries only die when its cold, raining and dark out.

[ronzo @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:41AM]

Ok, that's funny! :)

[Forrest @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:31AM]

This is especially funny given your avatar. I can imagine the professor saying that :P

[mike @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:16AM]

This is not a new idea, I know at least VW used to do this and when they shipped the vehicles overseas (to America when they were not producing the same vehicles in their Mexico plant) they used these to keep the batteries juiced up.

It just takes forever to charge an already drained battery this way, i think they would incorporate this into the dash and have it as an automatic thing, just my guess.... but then again who leaves their lights on during the day (who turns their lights on during the day)?

[gnome @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:52AM]

Yes, my old '03 Jetta came with one of these. I think it sat in the trunk for the entire 4 years of my lease.

[Maz @ Jul 22nd 2008 9:57AM]

whoops, you beat me to that comment, my bad

[ronzo @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:43AM]

Don't most newer cars have the "auto" feature for lights? As in, they leave the lights in "auto" and the lights come on when you start the car and turn off when you shut it down.

My cheapo 2007 HHR has that... don't most other cars nowadays?

[Miked @ Jul 22nd 2008 9:41AM]

Alright all you snarkmeisters, imagine driving to work on a gray, rainy October morning. Lights on. Get to work, leave them on accidentally, and the rain clears up and the day becomes sunny. Happens all the time in my part of the country (PA). This is a great solution for that problem.

However, I know in my family a solar panel wouldn't save us. First of all, both my cars have auto-off headlights. In fact I ALWAYS drive with my lights on. Turn the car on, lights are on. Turn the car off, lights go off after 30 seconds. The problem is we tend to kill our battery either by not noticing when one of the kids has pushed the overhead dome light on in the minivan, or when someone accidentally hits the remote in their pocket and pops open the trunk. In both cases, this usually occurs when the car is in the garage.

This gadget could be an excellent first step to add onto your typical hybrid. regenerative braking PLUS solar charging I would think would be a good thing.

[Rick @ Jul 22nd 2008 9:45AM]

This isn't going to do a whole heck of a lot for the Batmobile which Batman seems to drive mostly at night. But then he can always call his manservant Alfred to come out in the Bentley to jump start the Batmobile.

[Maz @ Jul 22nd 2008 9:56AM]

Those chargers are nothing new.

They put them in the windows of new cars while they're being shipped across the ocean so as to keep the battery topped off. Plug right into the cigarette lighter socket.

If you know the right person you can buy them for really cheap as car companies often sell them for low dollar after a car has arrived at its destination.

[Jon Acheson @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:16AM]

This won't do anything for a dead battery, as a dead battery won't hold a charge.

Still, it does no harm, and might help you get enough juice to crank over a marginal battery.

[Dan @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:50AM]

"After a very positive test from Nissan Europe with our new OEM Solar charger, equipped with cutting edge suction cups including OBD connector, we are extremely happy that Nissan North America has decided to extend our partnership," said Tom Clark, Vice President Sales Americas.

Um..."cutting edge suction cups?" Suddenly I'm rethinking my good opinion of Nissans....

[dajimmers @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:46PM]

Hey now, don't hate on what you don't know. Those cups suck like nothing's sucked before.

Or... Maybe they actually have a cutting edge. You know, for when you drive into a lake and need to break the glass to get out. Just whip out your dual-function cutting edge suction cup solar charger and you'll be sucking air in no time.

[Ryan @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:27PM]

I just want to know why Insane Clown Posse is getting in the solar power business.....

[Tim @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:48PM]

You can buy a solor panel at most marine stores for maintaining boat batteries for about $19.95.

[BigD145 @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:21PM]

A trickle charge panel runs about $10-20. Why wasn't this standard 5+ years ago? Oh, that's right. Battery makers rely on people not treating their batteries properly to make money more often than once every 5 years.

[Ryan @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:39AM]

Wow.. reading the comments - it looks like everyone is missing the point. If you read the article - the point is to keep car batteries charged while they're out on sales lots sitting for months. Solar pannels would be useful in cars shipped via trailer (eg, from mexico) but pointless while the car is being shipped over the ocean- b/c cars get transported inside shipping containers where light can't reach them anyhow.

these would also be good if you leave your car parked at an airport for weeks to keep the battery topped off.

Most cars now have timer circuits to shut down the headlights and dome lights if they've been left on too long so that's not the reason.

cars today draw quite a bit of current from the battery when they're not running. security systems, and power for the clock are two of the most basic things almost every car has that draw current when the car is turned off... but more advanced electronics add to the current draw.

random rant:
I think many engineers are becoming sloppy with designs that have a high idle current draw. I have a jeep in storage that I had to put a battery disconnect on because of the battery drain. It's a base model - no gps, no security, no computer that kills the lights automatically if they're left on, not even power locks, and it's a 5 speed so there's no computer to operate the transmission. so between the engine computer, gauge cluster, and the radio a new battery will drain in about a month. It shouldn't take that much current to retain learned fuel maps in the computer, and to keep the clock in the radio running. a clock circuit in a watch will run for years on a button battery.