Range extenders are nothing new, though they normally use a tiny internal combustion engine to assist an all-electric vehicle travel further. The team displayed a solar-powered range extender trailer as part of its show at the 2022 IdeenExpo in Hanover, Germany, suggesting that Tesla sneered at the concept.
The IdeenExpo is a sizable event for kids, teenagers, and young people that takes place in the Hanover Exhibition Center and offers workshops and exhibitions from numerous illustrious exhibitors. Tesla and Volkswagen were among the companies that attended this year’s event, which is jokingly referred to as the “biggest classroom in the world.”
Tesla is at the "IdeenExpo" in Hannover.
— Tesla_Adri (@tesla_adri) July 4, 2022
They brought a solar range extender trailer with Starlink.
And a Model Y with the 4680 structural battery pack.
Next to the Tesla stand is the VW stand. There are apparently more VW employees at the Tesla stand than Tesla employees. pic.twitter.com/8IHxLI5ukW
Tesla Germany actually brought a lot of interesting initiatives to the 2022 IdeenExpo, as Tesla supporter Falk Melzer noted. These included a white Model Y body with an exposed structural battery pack. 4680 battery cells were installed in the Model Y, and it is anticipated that they will soon be used in locally produced automobiles produced at the Gigafactory Berlin.
The solar range extender trailer with extendable panels and a Starlink dish was possibly the most intriguing display that Tesla brought to the event. Tesla’s range extender trailer genuinely appeared to be capable of supplying sufficient power to automobiles when its solar panels were folded out. Although it’s hard to determine if the device also included a power pack, the trailer appeared to be lightweight.
Although Tesla Germany’s solar range extender trailer is obviously a prototype, it’s interesting to see Tesla looking into ways to make its high-end all-electric vehicles travel farther. After the original launch of the Cybertruck in 2019, Elon Musk himself had already made reference to such a product.
Back then, Musk stated that Tesla would probably create a solar tonneau cover that can produce roughly 15 miles of range per day as a range extender for the all-electric pickup. The CEO went on to say that the addition of retractable solar wings would probably increase the Cybertruck’s daily range increases to between 30 and 40 miles. Additionally, the additional range provided by the Cybertruck’s solar panels may prove useful given that American truckers typically travel approximately 39 miles per day.