When Elon Musk pulled the covers off the Tesla Cybertruck at the eventful launch late last year, the automotive world was thrown into a frenzy over how Tesla could expect to sell such a strange-looking vehicle.
Aside from the dystopian aesthetic, and supposedly bullet-proof windows, one feature stood out from the rest, and came in the form of the optional solar panel-covered roof that would add 24km of range to the truck each day.
Up until this point, covering the rear tray of a ute with solar panels wasn't something that major brands were discussing, most probably due to the cost of this addition.
Just recently a company by the name of Worksport revealed a tonneau cover that makes use of a number of solar panels to store energy in power banks located in the truck's tray.
According to the release, the power banks are capable of storing up to 2kW of power. Alongside the banks, a breakaway unit will allow this power to be removed and be used across the worksite.
Worksport CEO Steven Rossi mentioned that the TerraVis system is “being designed to, among other things, provide a meaningful source of energy for the new wave of electric trucks.”
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While it won't be able to power the truck completely, the company mentioned that it should be capable of delivering 25-30% of the power needed daily by a commuter.
Alongside powering new electric utes, the system is going to be compatible with utes dating back to 2010, so that workers can use the battery banks to power other equipment.
Unfortunately, Worksport is still a few years of building the TerraVis, as the company is still seeking investment to get it off the ground.
Once electric utes start gaining popularity, we can imagine that these products will take off, and will probably be a factory-offered extra.