Solar panels to power accessories on next Toyota Prius
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Hybrid X concept.
The Nikkei business daily in Japan is reporting that the next generation Prius – due out next year as a 2010 model – will supposedly be fitted with solar panels to power a variety of electrical accessories, including the air conditioning. The source informed Nikkei that the solar panels, which would be a first on a production vehicle offered by a major automaker, would be equipped on "high-end" versions of the Prius. There was no mention of what kind of premium Toyota will charge for the solar-equipped Prius, but it confirms earlier reports that ToMoCo plans to expand its lineup of hybrid models.
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
zamafir 11:20AM (7/07/2008)
I'm staring at a five year old a8 with solar panels to power climate control when the car is off, must be a fluke.
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Brent 11:38AM (7/07/2008)
Is your computer in your garage?
Kingus 2:11PM (7/07/2008)
The car is obviously in his bedroom!
TwinTurboVR4 11:35AM (7/07/2008)
and here i thought the prius couldnt possible get any uglier...
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Vintage 11:33AM (7/07/2008)
Hybrids are NOT good for the environment. Neither are hummers. New cars are NOT a good solution for cutting our carbon footprints:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooN9INJxxy4
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Red 11:40AM (7/07/2008)
The Prius isn't the first, nor will it be the only upcoming car from a major manufacturer to use solar panels.
Also, Kyocera is rumored to be the company producing the panels for Toyota.
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Sorin 11:50AM (7/07/2008)
Beautiful. It's a wonderful idea with solar panels. Theoretically cost should decrease. We'll see. Anyway congratulations Toyota
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MajorGeek 2:04PM (7/07/2008)
Too ugly 4 me. Waiting for Volt or elictric car that looks good not counting the Tesla due to price tag. Until then hippies, im thinking this will work:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/07/07/panasonic-presents-electric-bike-recharging-its-battery-via-the-braking-system/
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MajorGeek 2:07PM (7/07/2008)
You mean congratulations Japan? It is fairly well believed by most that the Japanese government funded the battery development, which is why Prius=21k and Volt=40k and climbing. Again, pure speculation last I knew and not a conspiracy theorist guy, but it seems believeable. If true, they might be lacking the funds to be this far along in development to be doing solar panels. If all of this is true, then their technologies should be fair game from everyone to use.
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Durask 11:47PM (7/07/2008)
Once again a genius PR move by Toyota.
People eager to buy "green" but ignorant of high school physics will snap it up.
Do some basic calculations on how much energy you can generate from a solar panel this size. :)
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lvdave 11:29PM (7/07/2008)
That's weird I was just thinking up an solar/electric powered A/C system for my car. Toyota must have a transmitter implanted in my brain. This is the perfect invention for living in Las Vegas.
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pmiddle5 2:12AM (7/08/2008)
Bout damn time.
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Gerald 4:13AM (7/08/2008)
Solar panels shouldn't increase the price by much. You could buy a 63"x27" 15 volt, 100 watt solar panel from Radioshack for $899. And that was 10 years ago. I can only assume the technology has become more efficient and affordable over the years.
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cpwallen 9:37AM (7/18/2008)
Just when I thought the Prius couldn't get any uglier look what the designers pulled out of the bag. You would cook under that windshield in the summer, and good luck seeing out the sides or back.
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