The solar roof that Toyota is offering as an option on its next-generation Prius hybrid sedan may be even less useful than expected, according to a report in the specialty publication EVWorld. The solar panels, reports EVWorld, will add not a microwatt of charge to drive the Prius. Full Article
We knew this already... The way this is spun is rather negative, however the article itself goes on to give a fairly good explanation:
Again this business of "... improve the overall performance of the car by 75%, not just in terms of fuel efficiency, but in ride, comfort, and styling." How do you measure that ride, comfort and styling has been improved by any quantitative amount? Certainly fuel efficiency was improved by less than 10% based upon the reported EPA numbers. Nice to hear that Otsuka-san has a couple of vintage Alfa-Romeos, I also loved those cars when they were still being sold in the US during the 70s. I hope that he is also driving a Prius... It is also interesting to read about the wiring to the battery causing RF problems. I wonder why a handful of ferrite cores and ceramic capacitors can't solve that particular issue... The car already has a very long cable run from the battery at the rear of the car to the inverter at the front.
According to reliable sources, the solar panel on the 2010 Prius WILL NOT cause the sun to shine even 1microwatt brighter. I'm so disappointed.
It was inevitable that the solar misconception would emerge in the media. People just automatically jump to the conclusion that the panel will power the car. It stems from not having any idea how much electricity can be provided and how much is required. .
Sorry folks, 59 watts isn't going to push you very far. Your car can regen as much energy in one freeway offramp stop as this panel will produce in 1 hour! These challenges, however, do shed some light on what challenges we may face if we try to tie in our panels to the 12V battery for trickle charging.
You guys have it all wrong. The solar Prius model is designed to be used on Mercury. Initial testing has shown a 25% increase in fuel mileage, but only when used on the side facing the sun. Tom
59 watts solar panel can generate enough power to run the A/C. Say you park your car at 9AM until noon at work. When you go out for lunch, 3 hours of charge can be stored in the HV battery. If the panel can get 40W, that's 120Wh of energy. That's enough to run 360W A/C for 20 minutes or 720W A/C for 10 minutes. Plenty of power to cool the car.
