Next-Generation Prius Hybrid To Get Solar Panels To Power Air-Conditioning
By Scott Doggett July 7, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids next year, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters today.
The panels will be supplied by Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Corp. and will be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said.
"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."
The panels, which are expected to begin appearing on the high-end version of the gasoline-electric hybrid car as early as next spring, will be located on the roof and supply part of the 2-5 kilowatts needed to power the air-conditioning, according to a report in today's edition of the Nikkei newspaper.
The move would make Toyota the first major automaker to incorporate a solar-power generation system into a mass-produced car.
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius, similar in appearance to the concept Prius pictured here, next year.
Big automakers are all racing to come up with alternative solutions to using fossil fuels to appear ecologically conscious and to lure consumers looking to save money at the pump.
But solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices and storing energy is difficult, the source said. It was unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
A Toyota spokesman declined to comment.
Toyota has struggled to keep up with demand for the Prius as soaring gasoline prices put consumers off of gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Rival Honda Motor Co. will also step up its hybrid push with a new, low-cost model early next year, followed by several other gasoline-electric cars.
Automakers have teamed up with battery makers to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages to extend cruising distances.
Toyota has partnered with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. while Nissan Motor Co. has a joint venture with the NEC Corp. group and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is working with GS Yuasa Corp.
The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000. Cumulative sales have topped 1 million vehicles worldwide.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.
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