Solar Charging

Evoke Motorcycles
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read

The argument for the environmental superiority of electric vehicles is often undone by the question of what power source is used to charge their batteries.

Although electric vehicles benefit the urban environment by reducing exhaust emissions in built up urban areas, much like any electrical ‘appliance’ their motors are still reliant on the traditional means of electricity generation, be it coal, gas, or nuclear.

But what about the new wave of clean-energy approaches to generating power, such as wind or solar? Furthermore, what of the options to consumer for off-grid power generation on a smaller scale and is this small-scale generation of electricity sufficient to charge an E.V.?

With those added rays of sunshine that the summer months bring, what better way to put power into your Evoke than via solar panels?

But in reality, how practical is this? Let’s take Evoke’s birthplace as an example.

Taking Evoke’s birthplace as an example, Beijing receives 2707 out of a possible 4383 hours of sunlight per annum*, so already we must accept that personal solar charge may not be a viable option every day of the year.

However, based on the battery capacity for an Evoke Urban-S, and the ability of a small scale solar panel system of 4kW to generate 3,400kWh of power a year. That would mean that an Evoke Urban-S is able to be charged 425 times a year from pure sun-power alone.

A second question arises as to the convenience of accessing those daylight hours for charging time when of course for most people, daylight hours mean work and work requires a commute.

For this you would need to add in a battery for your solar panel to store charge in whilst you are busy with other things otherwise you would have to follow a strict schedule to make use of precious sun-rays.

If we begin with a bike holding full charge for ease of explanation and imagine it as your first day going solar, the day begins like this:

Ride to work and plug your Evoke into a solar charger at the office (admittedly something of a logistical challenge). Bike is replenished and back to full charge, accounting for the battery output of your morning commute. Returning home, you might make use of the dying evening light or better yet, connect your bike to make the most of the rising sun and the few hours of sunlight available before your alarm clock chimes to life.

Of course, with the addition of a battery, any sunlight collected by your domestic solar panels whilst you are at work is now yours to transplant to your bike without concern for your ability to make the required distance to work the next day.

Written By: Jacob Davidson

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