Charging Electric Pickups Could Be As Easy As Parking In The Sun Thanks To A Solar Tonneau Cover

A number of companies are working on electric pickups and Worksport has designed an innovative tonneau cover for them.

Equipped with solar panels, the tonneau cover resides over the truck bed and soaks up the sun’s rays.

Since electric pickups aren’t on the market yet, the system has been designed to store energy collected by the panels in multiple battery banks. The banks can store up to 2 kilowatts of power and there will be a so-called “break away” unit that can be removed to provide power to job sites or other places where electricity is needed.

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While that’s pretty interesting, CEO Steven Rossi said the TerraVis system is “being designed to, among other things, provide a meaningful source of energy for the new wave of electric trucks.” In particular, the company says the system should be able to deliver 25-30% of the charge needed by the average commuter.

Of course, the power is generated relatively slowly and Rossi said it’s the equivalent to plugging an electric vehicle into a standard 110V outlet. Depending on the size of the bed, the solar panels can generate up to 1000+ watts of power at an efficiency rating of approximately 22%.

As of now, the company is planning to offer the TerraVis system on “legacy” trucks starting around the 2010 model year. There will also be versions for upcoming electric pickup sold in North America including those from GM, Ford, Tesla, Bollinger and Rivian. The company is also holding “active negotiations” for an OEM partnership with a US-based EV startup that is planning to launch a Pininfarina-designed electric pickup.

Unfortunately, it will be a while before the system arrives as Worksport is still in the design stage and is seeking investment to bring the project to completion.  If everything goes according to plan, approximately a year or two after funding is secured the TerraVis system will be launched.