Prius May Begin Using Solar Panels On Roof

Japanese Newspaper Reports Popular Hybrid Will Power Air-Conditioning With The Sun

(AP)  Toyota's ecological Prius gas-electric hybrid will become even greener next year with solar-powered air conditioning on some high-end models, The Nikkei reported Monday.

The solar panels on the roof of the new Prius model will provide 2 to 5 kilowatts of electricity, the major Japanese business daily said in a report without citing sources.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to purchase the panels from Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Corp., the newspaper said.

Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco declined comment, saying the company doesn't comment on product plans.

A Toyota official, speaking on condition of anonymity because product plans are not supposed to be disclosed to the media ahead of time, has said details on what will be a third-generation Prius will likely be revealed in May of next year. He did not elaborate.

Sales of the Prius have been booming, thanks to soaring gasoline prices and growing worries about global warming. A hybrid delivers better mileage by switching between a gasoline-fueled engine and an electric motor.

Toyota has made hybrid technology the pillar of its growth strategy, promising to deliver hybrids in every model in its lineup soon after 2020. Toyota has sold more than a million Prius models over the past decade and is planning to sell a million hybrids a year sometime after 2010.

Toyota is also pursuing an aggressive strategy for ecological production by using solar panels and other technology at its plants.

Adding solar panels to a model targeting mass consumers would mark a first for a major automaker, The Nikkei said.

The additional energy will be used to power the auto-sux-inclinator to make noise so blind people can hear them coming. This will also help the deterioration/degeneration process in the brain of the flaming liberal driving it.

[cbsfan73]

I think it is just a "Green" gimmick. Unless they have some new secret technology breakthrough, that the cost of those panels probably exceeds the amount you would spend charging the car from a conventional 120 volt outlet over the life of the car.

[marv20051]

Most of the 8 hour day, your car sits idle, so why not charge the batteries by solar? I recently read where the Norweigans found a way to ''polarize'' or stack solar cells to provide like 8x the solar collecting capacity within the same given space.

[jowand]

Physics, you take more energy out of a system than you end up with. It would be self defeating.

[cbsfan73]

"About wind turbines on cars and the increased drag: The drag is already there because of the grille and the engine. Right now the energy is wasted as the car is pushed through the air. The wind turbine on the front wouldn''''t increase the drag; it would simply capture wind energy that would otherwise go unused."
Posted by wordwrkr513

You are wrong about this. If you install a turbine, you increase surface area which ADDS resistance. The air passes around the turbine and hits the car thus creating more drag.

You also have to account for the additional friction of the magnetic field in the turbine alternator. The more current you produce, the more friction you have from the field.

[incog-nito]

wordwrkr513: A wind turbine will create additional drag on the car. The most efficient turbine can capture at most 59% of the wind energy going through it. In order for this to work a turbine would need to generate over 100% of energy, which is of course impossible. In other words it takes more energy to push the turbine than can be extracted from it.

[wordwrkr]

Why does this site replace single quotes with double quotes? Seeing "you''re" just looks weird.

[wordwrkr]

About wind turbines on cars and the increased drag: The drag is already there because of the grille and the engine. Right now the energy is wasted as the car is pushed through the air. The wind turbine on the front wouldn''t increase the drag; it would simply capture wind energy that would otherwise go unused. And, as others have pointed out, 2-5 kW? I don''t think so! That''s a HUGE amount of power to get out of a solar detector. I wonder why the author hasn''t fixed this obvious error. You''d be luck to get a couple hundred watts out of the panels.

[incog-nito]

Here''s a simple scientific fact: Even if you can capture 100% of solar energy landing on the rooftop of the Prius, it will still only be enough to power maybe the interior lights. There''s only so much energy per square foot you can get from the sun. The solar panel will help charge the batteries on sunny days, NOT power the A/C.

[lewiston14]

The idea was good but as so many have said the numbers just add up but it is thinking like this that keeps them on the top of the game. Sure it will trickle charge the batteries and that is a good thing. Something I just thought of is on the other side. How do they plan on heating the inside of the car when it gets chilly outside. 750 watts might be enough but that sure will draw down the batteries in a hurry. They must be thinking of using an electric motor to drive the AC compresser but I do not know how much power is required to start it up first surge and then to keep it running. Maybe they have a design where the gas motor starts it and then runs on lower power. Lets not forget some of the troops working in high heat areas have very tiny gas motors running a very tiny AC unit in their fighting suits. So in MHO lets start to think outside the box. It sure cant hurt. Maybe they have something up their sleeve we dont know about yet. If india or china can make a small car for $3000 is there some reason we cant?

[gunfighter51]

I wonder what they are going to power with the panels?

The clock maybe!

[eddom949]

Still an energy problem, converting solar to electricity and lugging around a few hundred pounds of batteries...

[oneworldusa]

Solar power cars sounds like a great idea, but it wouldn''t provide a lot of energy, and the technology, like for homes, will be cost prohibitive for many.

The dilemma is this. How much do you pay for something far much more than other similar options available if the costs in doing so can''t be recouped in several years?

If your priority is going green, sure, get a Prius. If your priority is saving money so you have something left over to feed your family, get a Sentra or Aveo. Smart Cars are merely a farce. They have horrible fuel mileage for their size and are overpriced.

[undrmyboot3]

There is NO WAY that the roof of the Prius can generate even the LOW END of the estimate (2KW). The sun provides about 1.3KW per square meter. The roof of the prius is about 2 square meters. So the TOTAL energy hitting the roof is about 2.6 KW. The BEST commercially viable solar cells convert about 20% of that energy into electricity. This leaves only about 0.5 KW of power output.

At best the article is off by a factor of 4 in how much power can be produced by solar cells on the Pruis roof. At worst it is WRONG BY A FACTOR OF TEN.

This article shows again just how uneducated Americans have become- the author of this article being a prime example. I guess the author did not know how to, or did not think to, check the math.

[incog-nito]

I used to own a 1995 Saturn SL, with EPA mileage rated at 28 city/40 hwy. I regularly got about 33-35 mpg in mixed driving. And this car was not exactly a technological marvel when it came out (actually it was a rather crappy car). I had no problem with driveability whatsoever. In fact I took numerous long-distance trips with it cruising at 75-85 all day (and 95+ on occasions).

That''s why I find it very hard to believe that automakers cannot produce a regular gasoline car that can get 40 mpg, with today''s technology. It seems they''re just more concerned with power and acceleration over mileage efficiency.

[cbsfan73]

If you cannot copy and paste the link below, see the CBS News story:

Labor Bureau: Japanese Man, 45, Died Of Overwork
Japanese Labor Bureau Rules That 45-year-old Toyota Camry Engineer Died From Overwork

[cbsfan73]

"once again - the japanese engineers have outsmarted the u.s. carmakers. rest assured - that my next car will be a toyota or honda :)"
Posted by Sociald63
Uhhhh...
Yes, when you work people like this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/09/ap/business/main4245526.shtml?source=search_story

American engineers are equal or better than any. If they come up short, look at upper management. They give the engineers rotten eggs and sour milk and say make me a tasty cake in less than a minute.

[whitemale08]

See what happens win you think outside the box?

I''m actually optimistic about Obama''s Presidency.

He said it best when he said: "I know high oil prices are hurting families, I just wish they hadn''t risen so fast"

That statement shows that he really wants us to be independent from oil once and for all.

John McCain is not serious about alternative energy.

Oil is Serfdom.

Alternative energy is Freedom !!!

Let''s believe in Freedom once again America !!!

[kennedy7955]

GM came close to cornering the market on plug in electric cars. But GM did as they have always done, spent their time and money fighting California laws on green energy, got the laws changed and then scrapped the cars and went on to open Hummer.

GM''s suffering is payback for their stupidity and shortsightedness. See the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car for details on GM''s efforts to kill the electric car.

If GM had shown some vision back then, they would now be towering over the car industry and deep in profits.

[kennedy7955]

A wind turbine on a car would greatly increase drag. I would guess actually draw more energy in drag than it would produce.