Australian Startup Poised To Solve Problems For Tesla Cybertruck With Unique Solar Carport
The Tesla Cybertruck has received nearly 150,000 pre-orders, despite its widely-mocked launch. With production set to begin in 2021, the Cybertruck has been widely criticised by skeptics, not least because of its unconventional form, which is incompatible with other truck parts and is unlikely to fit in a standard garage or parking space. Tesla is no stranger to bumps in the road, however, and already creative thinkers are beginning to navigate the issue. At the forefront is Iron Matrix, an Australian startup focused on clean energy buildings.
A Solar Carport Fit For A Cybertruck
Iron Matrix has unveiled plans for a solar-panelled carport to go alongside its solar construction to support life off-grid, which has recently been patented. The company’s founder and CEO, David Morgan, thought up a straightforward design using bolted steel construction techniques to produce a shelter for the Cybertruck that generates energy. Solar carports have proven successful in other areas, supplying energy to entire businesses and generating their own income in addition to charging the electric vehicles they shelter. Morgan plans to target the Californian market, and the Cybertruck-friendly solar port has been granted a tech patent in the USA. The design plans for the port suggest that the invention will be capable of powering the Cybertruck for approximately 100km per charge.
Charge Anywhere
What’s really special about Iron Matrix’s design is that the port is to be flat-pack, with each steel piece able to fit into the Cybertruck for easy transportation, allowing you to construct the port and charge the vehicle wherever you are. The design takes a fundamental problem with the Cybertruck’s design and turns it into an advantage: the garage space travels with you. “All of a sudden that Cybertruck sounds like a fantastic idea,” said Morgan, whose patent for the solar construction method allows Iron Matrix buildings to be built anywhere – cranes, footings and scaffolding are not needed due to the specialised joint connections used.
Power For 100km A Day
The Cybertruck will require a significant amount of energy to charge, but Morgan estimates that the solar carport will be capable of outputting approximately 30kWh per day. He says the port will get a standard electric vehicle about 150km a day, and the Cybertruck roughly 100km a day. The idea is that the truck could be left to charge for a few days while you take the weekend to live off-grid. The Iron Matrix system was inspired by the falling cost of lithium batteries, which can now “deliver a kilowatt hour for half the price of the grid,” said Morgan. The Cybertruck carport can already be ordered: production of the steel began in October 2019 and became publicly available once Iron Matrix received its patent.
