At 05:32 PM 5/18/2012, Tobias Gogolin wrote:
>one could devise some Solar panels on a vanagon that would complete a Horse
>worth of power even without any battery or diesel backup generator!

These people will sell you 250 6x6-inch cells to make up a panel with
a claimed max output of one kilowatt, which is 1-1/3 hp.  They could
make up into a panel a little bigger than 5x12 feet, so you ought to
be able to put that on a Vanagon roof with perhaps a bit of overhang.

But don't forget that a fully loaded Vanagon (5269 lb gross) with 1
hp at the wheels and neglecting all forms of drag and resistance and
never using the brakes will (starting from rest) take a minimum of
ten seconds for every foot of net altitude gained between starting
point and destination.  And it will take you an hour and forty
minutes minimum to climb a 600 foot hill starting from rest.  You
might want to ease into this by driving one of the stock diesels for
a while. ;-)

Yours,
David