Tesla owner uses emergency solar to trickle charge battery in desert(electrek.co)
electrek.co
Tesla owner uses emergency solar to trickle charge battery in desert
https://electrek.co/2026/04/18/tesla-model-x-solar-charging-atacama-desert-chile-pan-american-highway/
2 comments
Yeah, I agree, that's a little baffling. The article is trying to make the case that with a solar panel, an EV won't leave you stranded if you run out of charge. However, I don't think that the incident they're talking about is an example of that at all.
He used the panel, and later a generator from a road crew, to stop his battery from shutting down before he was able to get towed.
If I had a gas car, I would stop my car and try to find a tow truck.
It seems like an ICE owner would be in the exact same situation without the need to deploy solar panels or talk to a road crew.
The article doesn't say why he needed to keep his battery from shutting down - was it to prevent an EV-specific failure mode, or was it so he could keep running the AC?