Toyota to launch solar-powered Prius
We applaud any car manufacturer that harnesses the power of technology -- particularly if it helps fuel economy, driving fun, or makes us look cool. That's why we launched Car Tech.
So our ears perked up when we heard Toyota is upgrading its Prius. Not only will it feature a hybrid electric-petrol engine and automatic self-parking (see its robot skillz in action here), but it will soon get solar panels on the roof to power its air-conditioning system.
That last bit might not sound too exciting, but it has potential. Automotive air-con systems are usually powered by your car's engine, which has to work harder to keep the car moving, and its occupants cool. By using a solar panel and electric motor combo, Toyota is able to use the power of the sun against itself, save petrol, and reduce CO2 emissions.
It's a shame these particular solar panels can't be used to power the entire vehicle, but there is hope: a US company called SEV has already demonstrated a modified, solar-powered Prius that improves fuel economy by around 29 per cent. According to SEV, this gives you a daily electric-only range of 20 miles.
We'll have to wait until 2009 to see whether Toyota's implementation makes a real difference, but in the meantime, you can watch our video review of the current Prius here. -Rory Reid
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Rory ReidMon 7 July, 2008 3:07pm
If they have any interest in preserving the atmosphere whatsoever, they won't allow the air-con to use while the driver is away. Car air con systems use a special gas to extract heat from the surrounding air (before blowing that air into the cabin) and unfortunately some of those gases can be harmful to the environment.
AnonymousMon 7 July, 2008 3:50pm
I am a Prius owner, and this doesn't strike me as an improvement. Unless daveemtb is correct and it runs the air con when the car is parked. My car uses SIGNIFICANTLY less gas in the summer when I run the A/C. In normal driving conditions the gas engine doesn't come on to make the car cooler, only for acceleration. Normal braking and coasting provide all the regeneration the battery needs. If the Solar Power could make the HEATER run that would be an improvement. The heat easily drops my MPG average by at 5 MPG, and even more when the temps are below freezing.
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daveemtbMon 7 July, 2008 2:14pm
I hope the air con can run when you leave the car parked in the sun. I've always thought solar powered air con would be great for that. Shame it can't top up the running batteries though. The only reason I can think of is that they are under the thumb of oil companies!