Solar Powered Toyota Prius
February 2, 2009in Solar Energy by admin 1 Comment »
Toyota announced that the 2010 Prius will come with an option for a solar panel, and is expected to get 50mpg. This roof mounted solar panel is made by Kyocera and is used to power the AC unit thus reducing the overall energy needed to power the Prius. The idea of solar panels on cars is not a new idea, but one that people like. Toyota was supposedly swayed in the direction of solar panels as a result of public interest.
Although the current system will only power the AC unit, and is for all intents and purposes is just for show, this is definitely a step in the right direction. The California company SEV has created a solar panel system for Toyota Prius (2004-2008). This system takes 2-3 hours to install and boast of a 29% improvement in fuel efficiency. If you are interested this system will set you back $2K to $4k, but it should pay for itself in 2-3 years.
Toyota is on the right track and hopefully as technology improves the impact that solar panels have on our energy consumptions will increase. Judging by the advancements in recent years I would not be surprised to see a road vehicle by 2020 that is capable of being powered by the sun entirely on a sunny day. Possibly this will be done by solar charging stations or by munted panels that charge the batteries when the car is parked.
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