I think it is a fan that vent the inside using a roof top solar panel. Can i install this on my 2010 Prius 3? Or is it some factory sccesdory?
It was a factory option on the Prius Three and Prius Four that added a power moonroof in the front and a solar panel on the rear of the roof. It included the ability to run the fan (vent) from solar generated power while the car is parked, reducing heat build up inside the vehicle. It also came with the world’s first remote A/C whereby it could run the A/C compressor to cool the cabin prior to entry by activation on the key fob. The combination of the two could reduce the interior temperature by up to 35°C. The solar panel runs the same fans as the HVAC. It wasn’t an additional fan. The electric motor that runs the fan was beefed up for those models with the Solar Panel Ventilation System.
What he said. BUT.....there are after-market units that mount in a slightly opened side window and run off a solar cell. IIRC, the reports are that they are only marginally effective, but didn't cost a lot either. I don't know if they are still available or not.
The difference between a Gen 3 with the solar vent option and one of those stocking-stuffer solar window fans is that the Gen 3 feature uses a fan big enough to make an actual difference, and enough solar panel area to run a fan that big. The fan is the one built into the HVAC, but in models with the option, it's a different fan. It has a brushless motor, so there will be no brushes to wear out given the many more hours it is likely to be spinning. The motor supplied without the option is a bog-standard one with carbon brushes.
