Next-Gen Prius Will Have Solar AC

By Staff • Published August 11th, 2008 • Further Reading ShareThis

Toyota’s iconic Prius hyrbrid is about to make a symbolic leap forward: the next generation will reportedly feature solar panels on the roof.

The solar panels, which will be made by Kyocera, will likely only produce 1 kW of electricity, so the drivetrain will continue to be powered by the gas-electric hybrid motor while the air conditioning unit the primary beneficiary of the new power source. While this is definitely more of a symbolic gesture — and has even been characterized as such by an anonymous Toyota insider – it’s definitely good to see a company taking the lead in innovation and pushing the limits of what’s possible.

How Much Benefit Can We Get From Solar AC?

In short, not much. Something to think about, though, is that this will change the way you use air conditioning; since the solar panel is going to be generating so little electricity, it’s likely that Toyota won’t include a way to store any excess from it–the gains would be too minimal to justify the cost. What this does mean is that one of the more economical decisions you could make on a sweltering summer day is to leave your air conditioning running off of the solar power while your car sits empty in the sun. Follow this logic: it costs you nothing, and doesn’t impact the environment to keep the AC running. If you didn’t do that, you would greatly increase the load on the AC when you returned to the car–which may require drawing from the main battery and gasoline engine. Isn’t renewable energy cool?

That’s Great, When Do I Get My Solar Car?

Sadly–and in spite of what we were all lead to believe while watching solar test beds zip across Australia on Reading Rainbow in the 1980s–the solar passenger car is still a long way from fruition. Solar panel efficiency needs to climb dramatically before a panel the size of the average American home is capable of powering a car, much less a panel that’s the size of the automobile itself; on top of that, the present price of silicon has made solar a solution that’s not yet economically feasible on the scale of the automobile in America. Nevertheless, this is how revolutions begin; Toyota’s bold step today lights the way for tomorrow’s innovation.

More Reading:

Toyota Plans Solar-Powered Prius (ElectricPig)
Toyota To Use Solar Power Generation System In Prius (PDO)
Next-Gen Prius To Get Solar Panel To Drive Accessories (Autobloggreen)

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Viewing 10 Comments

shabaz 4 weeks ago 1 point
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still pushing consumerism chris?
still pushing pie in the sky gadgets too.
toyota will never install solar cells on a car, probably because then they have to warranty them.
1 kw??? go google shopping and try to find a 1kw panel, huge. toyota prius, small.
but but but new technology will make it all possible....pie in the sky, and you're pushing this fantasy.
why not unicorns or alternate dimensions or AI or something else that "could" exist.

i have berated you in the past for caring more about quantity then quality in your "news" efforts
and here I am again, courtesy of stumble upon by the way, greatly disappointed by the green movement.
Green has got to be more then a marketing slogan. You are trying too hard to be the next hot thing.
you are selling out your beliefs by trying to make money at this.

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chrisbaskind 4 weeks ago 1 point
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I think the 1 kilowatt figure -- widely reported in the automotive press -- is high: 250 to 500 watts is probably what we'll see in production. In any case, it's a good thing. A better move, of course, would be to bicycle. But that's not news.

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8 /people/chrisbaskind/ /people/chrisbaskind/following/ http://ChrisBaskind.com chrisbaskind chrisbaskind

jez 4 weeks ago 1 point
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1kw isnt so small as to not need to use the excess to charge the batteries, quite the opposite, if they can make a solar panel small enough to fit a car that can make 1kw it will be a miracle

1kw at say 10 hours a day will drive you for miles, and is not 'so little' not everyone needs the aircon on , but thats a lot of power for topping up batteries

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DigitalMind 4 weeks ago 1 point
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1 Kilowatt of panels is a LOT ! I installed 30 watts of solar panels in my sisters off-grid house and that gave her lights for the first time (click on my name to see that write-up). I think if 1000 Watts isn't enough to power a car air conditioner, it's the AC units that need working on.

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http://www.techienation.com/?p=21

Mr. Candid 4 weeks ago 1 point
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Hey Shabaz,
lighten up!
Modern solar panels are approaching 20% efficiency , while this may seem quite low consider that this is double of what solar panels were 20 years ago, I think it's high time the auto makers do something to reduce our dependency on oil, I'm quite sure once Toyota starts this,the other auto makers will follow suit and the technology will improve.

It's a small step, but it's a step in the right direction

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shabaz 4 weeks ago 1 point
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oh Mr. Candid you do put a smile on my face but lighten up, no, probably not.
This is a "symbolic gesture", of course the automakers will put solar all over cars if it sells, it's called the flavor of the month and it is not a step in the right direction.
When has the auto industry done squat except maximize it's profit at the expense of all humanity?
Look i know you want a Prius, i want a Prius, we all want a Prius because the PRIUS IS A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING TOOL. Toyota is not filling demand, it is creating demand. Should that be ok? If a sucker is really born every minute is it ok to take advantage of them? I guess as long as they're just Rubes it's ok. right.

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rajiv seth 4 weeks ago 1 point
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no mention of the environmental cost of producing this gimmick -

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Jeff - ScienceSays.net 3 weeks ago 1 point
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I wrote about this a while back as well: http://www.sciencesays.net/2008/07/solar-powere...

I think it's a great idea, but I hope it's not just a gimmick - air conditioning can be a huge drain on fuel, but if the solar panels aren't up to the task, it could set solar cars back ages.

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http://www.sciencesays.net

Carlo Zottmann 3 weeks ago 1 point
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I like the idea.

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2 /people/Carlo/ /people/Carlo/following/ http://carlo.zottmann.org in/czottmann Carlo Carlo czottmann

Daniel 1 week ago 1 point
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How about the next Prius be a bicycle.

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