Well apparently you can buy a new solar panel kit for your Prius that will save you even more gas! Solar Electrical Vehicles (SEV) has created a solar panel kit for the current Prius that will allow the car to travel up to 20 miles on the battery alone.
The kit consists of a convex solar-panel made from high efficiency mono-crystalline photovoltaic cells, with modules rated at 200-300 watts. The power is used to charge a secondary 3kW battery that can be used to propel the car.
Supposedly the extra technology can improve the overall car's fuel-economy by up to 29%. The kit can run anywhere from $2,000 - $4,000, which could be recouped within 2-3 years.
SEV is also going to develop similar systems for the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Tesla Roadster.
Full Story: Motor Authority
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Comments (9)
it would only make it more expensive unless you live anywhere near the equator.
in the near future, this could be useful to complement durable lithium ion batteries with AC plug charging.
if good enough, a small gasoline engine would only be needed for emergency battery recharging.
Posted by adrian | June 3, 2007 8:48 AM
Posted on June 3, 2007 08:48
Can you imagine diesel electric buses with solar panel on the roof?
I would buy a diesel electric pickup with some solar panels on the roof in a heartbeat. Especially if it comes with outlets in the bed for tools like that GM prototype.
Posted by Greg | June 3, 2007 12:17 PM
Posted on June 3, 2007 12:17
They need to replace that gas engine for a diesel.
They also need to enable the battery to be recharged by a charging station in the garage/driveway. Maybe they could even sell a solar panel as an upgrade for that charging station.
There are someplace in NA that electricity is ubber cheap (Quebec). Charging the car from AC would be a great choice over there.
Posted by Mat | June 3, 2007 12:50 PM
Posted on June 3, 2007 12:50
Mat:
It would only cost a few kilowatt hours to charge the batteries...cost would be minimal compared to gasoline.
Posted by Rovemelt | June 3, 2007 2:21 PM
Posted on June 3, 2007 14:21
I fur one don't think this sun thing is gunna last. So nope.
Posted by Bubba | June 6, 2007 3:35 PM
Posted on June 6, 2007 15:35
This is a great idea, it will probably never really pay for itself, but if you bought your Prius to save the environment, this keeps a few more gallons in the ground.
Now if we could just forget about all the nasty chemicals it takes to make PV cells.
And if we could get all the Prius drivers to stop speeding.
And if we could get all the Prius drivers to stop jack-rabbit starting from stoplights.
And...
Oh, you get the idea.
Posted by Obviously DaMinority | June 16, 2007 10:00 AM
Posted on June 16, 2007 10:00
I always wanted a Solar El Camino!!
Posted by Tim Fleming | September 4, 2007 11:40 PM
Posted on September 4, 2007 23:40
I always wanted a Solar El Camino!!
Posted by Tim Fleming | September 4, 2007 11:40 PM
Posted on September 4, 2007 23:40
I'm seeing something a little different. NIMH which is always being trickle charged every day. You could effectively erase the memory on the batteries with this and should get a longer battery life with this solar kit installed.
Posted by Kevin | March 6, 2008 11:11 AM
Posted on March 6, 2008 11:11