al
07-07-2008, 08:41 AM
There is a 3rd party company out there that makes aftermarket PV roofs for the Prius, and now Toyota has integrated it into stock models. It is supposed to generate enough power to run the A/C purely off of solar power.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST29871820080706
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power for a vehicle, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.
The paper said Toyota would equip solar panels on the roof of the high-end version of the Prius when it redesigns the gasoline-electric hybrid car early next year, and the power generated by the system would be used for the air conditioning.
Toyota plans to use solar panels made by Kyocera Corp (6971.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the Nikkei said.
A Toyota spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the report.
The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000, and its cumulative sales have topped 1 million units worldwide.
Toyota remodeled the Prius with an improved hybrid system in 2003 and is expected to launch a third-generation version by next year.
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/07/solar-prius.jpg
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST29871820080706
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power for a vehicle, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.
The paper said Toyota would equip solar panels on the roof of the high-end version of the Prius when it redesigns the gasoline-electric hybrid car early next year, and the power generated by the system would be used for the air conditioning.
Toyota plans to use solar panels made by Kyocera Corp (6971.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the Nikkei said.
A Toyota spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the report.
The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000, and its cumulative sales have topped 1 million units worldwide.
Toyota remodeled the Prius with an improved hybrid system in 2003 and is expected to launch a third-generation version by next year.
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/07/solar-prius.jpg