Integrate These Solar Panels Into IMA Charging?

[Artric]

Hi,

I got a link to these panels in an email from Amazon:

Amazon.com: Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit: Automotive

Could they be used in a charging setup for the IMA battery? How ridiculously complicated would it be? Do they provide enough power to be useful?

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Make your own.
Check out the bottom of this blog
Building the Solar HV charger/rebalancer

MIMA Honda Insight Modified Integrated Motor Assist - MIMA Pack Whack and rebalancing the battery

[Hybrid-Battery-Repair]

Originally Posted by Artric

Hi,

I got a link to these panels in an email from Amazon:

Amazon.com: Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit: Automotive

Could they be used in a charging setup for the IMA battery? How ridiculously complicated would it be? Do they provide enough power to be useful?

60 watts / 168V (1.4V max NiMH voltage * 120) = 0.35 Amps

That's about the same as the grid chargers here (although they run at higher voltage). With losses, figure 0.25 A

To charge the battery, you want to apply about 5 ah (amp-hours), so it would need around 20 hours. Depending on where you live, that might take 4 sunny days.


To put it into perspective, the car can charge that much in six minutes and discharge it in three (at 20 bars of assist).

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

The trick is to get the pack nearly topped off while driving the car before you try to top it off with the solar charger