toyota to add solar panels to prius hybrid

[Amby 490]

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to add solar panels to its popular Prius hybrid early next year to power the vehicle's air conditioning, a newspaper report said Monday.

As part of a complete design makeover, the Prius will be fitted with rooftop solar panels on its high-end models, the Nikkei economic daily reported.

"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the unidentified source. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."

Toyota, who declined comment on the report, would be the first major carmaker to use a solar power generation system on a mass-produced vehicle.

The automaker plans to produce 450,000 Priuses in Japan in 2009, up 60 percent from 2007, Nikkei reported.

The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997. Total global sales have since topped 1 million.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376872,00.html

[jundp 191]

Patrick wants a Prius, but I'm guessing we won't get the one with solar panels....seeing as we live in The Land of Little Sun.

[Ggreen 12]

Cool.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Awesome.

[Marlita 0]

Pretty cool idea.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Very Good!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Symbolic. Like it said. Still not a bad idea. All cars should have them to keep your battey from going dead.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'm not sure I would buy a Prius - given that the technology in it is so new that its not clear how much parts of it would cost to replace once they wear out.

If its anything like my car and the headache of having to pay out silly amounts of money for parts that are only available through the manufacturer ($400 for a headlight unit) it's probably on the pricey side when you take it to the garage.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'm not sure I would buy a Prius - given that the technology in it is so new that its not clear how much parts of it would cost to replace once they wear out.If its anything like my car and the headache of having to pay out silly amounts of money for parts that are only available through the manufacturer ($400 for a headlight unit) it's probably on the pricey side when you take it to the garage.

like the battery packs

[Cassie 8]

Sounds like a great idea -- especially in states with as much sun as we get. The air conditioning does tend to get a workout during the summers here and removing that power drain from the gas/electric system would only boost the mpg.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Sounds like a great idea -- especially in states with as much sun as we get. The air conditioning does tend to get a workout during the summers here and removing that power drain from the gas/electric system would only boost the mpg.

The solar panels won't help that much. But it's a nice effort.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Solar FTW!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sounds like a great idea -- especially in states with as much sun as we get. The air conditioning does tend to get a workout during the summers here and removing that power drain from the gas/electric system would only boost the mpg.

The solar panels won't help that much. But it's a nice effort.

Yeah you'd need a lot of surface area or a super-efficient solar cell to run an a/c unit... Best we can do currently would probably power the interior lighting but not much more than that...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The Prius is still ridiculously priced, even at $4 gas. I'm not paying to feel good, I'll let the saps with money to burn do that.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The Prius is still ridiculously priced, even at $4 gas. I'm not paying to feel good, I'll let the saps with money to burn do that.

We've learned our lesson with novelty cars. Next time I'm buying something practical.