400 miles is 640km, which, at 5km/kw (Vanagon) gives you 128kwh.
2 weeks is 14 days, in a sunny climate you can reckon on 5 solid solar hours so 70 charging hours.
128kwh / 70 charging hours is 1.82 kw.
You can probably fit a 480w panel on the roof of said reference Vanagon so you will need to get 4 and stack em 4 high. Maybe fold them out like an awning?
In the van-life world, where photovoltaic electronics frequently supply house power on a conventional ICE vehicle, you will occasionally see either static-deployable panels (i.e., stored aboard the vehicle in transit, but staged on the ground when camped), or fold-out panels (which remain fixed to the vehicle but deploy outward, often providing additional shading).
There's also an advantage in warm climates / seasons to a stand-off roof --- air-gap between panels and the actual surface of the vehicle) which provide effective shading and reduce cooling load --- either to permit passive cooling via fans or as an assist to an air-conditioning unit (fairly rare on vans).
There's also a pretty frequent use of fuel-based house services: space heat (e.g., Webasto heaters, by Cummins: <https://www.cummins.com/na/sales-and-service/webasto-heating...>), stovetops (often propane), and hot water, though you'll also see electric (induction cooktop, microwave or electric oven, electric hot-water, resistance strip heating in floors). Latter require a pretty beafy electrical system, generator, and/or "shore power" (connection to grid mains).
(I've looked into the van-life thing for a while. Ultimately it's expensive for the nicer rigs and/or involves a lot of sacrifices, and combines risks of a residence and vehicle. Not to say it can't work, but there are major considerations, and the postcard view often provided is not the whole story.)
scrappyjoe|3 years ago
2 weeks is 14 days, in a sunny climate you can reckon on 5 solid solar hours so 70 charging hours.
128kwh / 70 charging hours is 1.82 kw.
You can probably fit a 480w panel on the roof of said reference Vanagon so you will need to get 4 and stack em 4 high. Maybe fold them out like an awning?
dredmorbius|3 years ago
There's also an advantage in warm climates / seasons to a stand-off roof --- air-gap between panels and the actual surface of the vehicle) which provide effective shading and reduce cooling load --- either to permit passive cooling via fans or as an assist to an air-conditioning unit (fairly rare on vans).
There's also a pretty frequent use of fuel-based house services: space heat (e.g., Webasto heaters, by Cummins: <https://www.cummins.com/na/sales-and-service/webasto-heating...>), stovetops (often propane), and hot water, though you'll also see electric (induction cooktop, microwave or electric oven, electric hot-water, resistance strip heating in floors). Latter require a pretty beafy electrical system, generator, and/or "shore power" (connection to grid mains).
(I've looked into the van-life thing for a while. Ultimately it's expensive for the nicer rigs and/or involves a lot of sacrifices, and combines risks of a residence and vehicle. Not to say it can't work, but there are major considerations, and the postcard view often provided is not the whole story.)