Adaptable orientation optimization for vehicles with solar photovoltaic surfaces

A transportation vehicle, comprising:

• a solar power generation apparatus mounted on the vehicle with a layout such that at any particular solar altitude angle a power output of the solar power generation apparatus varies according to an azimuth orientation of the vehicle;
• and
• a controller coupled to the solar power generation apparatus, wherein the controller includes a database of calibration curves relating an expected power output to a respective range of the azimuth orientation each corresponding to a respective solar altitude angle, and wherein the controller is configured to:
• perform a self-learning sequence comprising (a) collecting a magnitude of the power output while the vehicle is driven in a path which traverses the respective range of the azimuth orientation, (b) identifying a current solar altitude angle, and (c) storing a resulting calibration curve in the database;
• and
• perform a parking sequence for a parking event, comprising (a) selecting one of the calibration curves from the database according to the current solar altitude angle, (b) determining a target vehicle azimuth angle which optimizes a cumulative power output based on the selected calibration curve and a current solar azimuth, and (c) initiating a movement of the vehicle according to the target vehicle azimuth angle.