If you have a Tesla, or an electric vehicle in general, you may have had the experience of worrying about running out of battery when going off the beaten path, but Tesla has a solution.
Tesla has unveiled a solar-powered trailer that extends the range of its vehicles as part of its exhibit at IdeenExpo 2022 in Hannover, Germany. According to a photo of the unit shared by Falk Melzer, the trailer has a set of solar panels that can be extended outwards when the vehicle is not in motion.
Tesla has previously mentioned that it is working on such a device in 2019, which will allow owners of Cybertrucks or other vehicles in its fleet to stray off the beaten track without worrying about running out of range. We don’t have any technical details about this trailer yet, but we imagine that the solar panels will make it possible toadd a few tens of kilometers of autonomy per day to the vehicles.
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Tesla’s trailer is equipped with a Starlink antenna
Tesla also had the good idea to add a Starlink antenna above its trailer, which should allow drivers to enjoy a Wi-Fi connection. It’s unclear if this will only be available when the vehicle is stationary, but it’s an important addition that may well allow some Tesla car owners to get out into the great outdoors while still enjoying a fiber speed.
We can also see that this is not the first generation of round dish that SpaceX had put on the market, but the second rectangular model. The latter would be more efficient, but also costs a little more. Indeed, while it was necessary to pay a little more than 500 euros to obtain the circular antenna, it is now necessary to spend 634 euros for this new modelto which must be added 71 euros in processing shipping costs and a monthly subscription of 99 euros.
Anyway, SpaceX was recently granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authorization touse its Starlink satellite internet system on moving vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats and planes. We should therefore see Starlink land in Tesla vehicles soon.