Next Toyota Prius to offer solar panels

The Prius would not be the first, though; the Audi A8 used solar panels in the '90s for the same purpose.

I think even Mazda had some on the 929, too.

However...we can expect Toyota to crank it up a notch, maybe two, for sure.

I think this will help increase the amount of time the gas engine can be off, since A/C is what requires most power when the car is not in motion.

A Prius is about 5.5ft wide and about 14ft long. Current solar panel technology is about 10watts per sqft at about $5/watt BOM cost. If they covered the Prius nose to tail with panels, it'd cost about $3850 to generate about 1hp under ideal lighting conditions. Worth it?

No one cares Toyota wasn't first... all people will care about is who made it work.

roar02ram, do you have any sources handy on Audi's solar panels? I'd like to learn more about that.

I dont really think it matters who did it first. Whats important is who executes it the best.

bbechtel16,
http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/new_cars/Audi_A8/A8/Features/options.html

Ooh! A $790 fan!
If money is no object (well the A8 starts at 70,690 anyways), it's a handy gadget.

7driver has it right.

The amount of power these panels will produce will be a trickle and at a great cost... not to mention how much weight it will add to the car (which reduces mileage.. physics.. just can't get around it.)

How much gas will it save and what will the payback be? 50 years? more?

If it's been done before without widespread appeal, then there was something wrong at the time that prevented it from becoming popular. Example, folding hardtops in 1957.

In this case, 7driver may have that missing link - the ratio of cost to effectiveness. That said, I doubt Toyota would introduce something that's ineffective, even if the effectiveness was pricey.

This is a good start. But can they make another one for the gas purposes and that will really help the continuous increase of gas prices. Auto Development should help these car manufacturers for a great solution for these kind of problems.

Can I suggest that you do some basic investigation before you just report what some un-named source gave you? 1 square meter of sunlight contains about 1 KW of convertable solar energy. Solar cells range from 5-18% conversion efficiency (call it 20% so the numbers are easier). That means you would need 10 square meters of surface area to get the low end of the power quoted in the article (2000 Watts). Just how big is that new Prius going to be?

Thanks for the link billt9. I think if I was buying an A8 I'd have to have it!

1hp, OK, but remember that the Prius will probably charge its batteries even while its parked.

So you park for a 9 hour work shift and store all that energy, then you can expend that energy on a 30 minute commute. You're charging 18 times as much as you are using.

Having the batteries to store the energy gathered means they don't have to use the solar energy in real-time.

Just make sure you park out in the sun.

OK, ateixeira, but a 9 hour work shift does not equate to 9 hours of direct sunlight since the sun shifts position while the car does not. Plus, you have to see out when you're not driving, so the Prius likely won't be covered nose to tail with panels. Therefore, adjust the numbers accordingly.