Unlike the previous solar panels to adorn its plug in hybrid the new.
Prius with solar panel roof.
When toyota introduced the 2010 prius years ago the automaker offered an optional solar panel on the roof of the car.
The solar cells being used by toyota sharp and nedo in a prototype car are only about 0 03 millimeters thick so they can be placed on curved surfaces such as the roof.
The solar cells which are being manufactured by sharp are.
With solar panels that thin toyota has the flexibility to add them to not only the car s.
Toyota will start testing a new solar roof for the prius that it says can add as much as 44 5 km of range to the plug in hybrid a day.
The new prius models will have solar panels built by sharp thin films that are around 0 001 inches thick.
Solar panels located on the roof of your new toyota prius absorb the sun s rays and use that absorbed solar energy to power the vehicle s ventilation system.
According to toyota the solar roof option atop the prius prime will boost each vehicle s efficiency by as much as ten percent.
So while your prius is parked in the sun it is actually storing energy and powering the ventilation system and fan maintaining a cooler temperature on the interior of your vehicle.
A remote air conditioning system functions off of the same ventilation system and can be activated by using the keyless entry remote.
The first method involves an available remote air conditioning system that is packaged with the solar roof feature.
On top of that the roof panels charge the car s battery while parked.
Under a good amount of sun the roof panel is said to be able to add up to 3 7 miles to the car s daily electric range.
Older model toyota priuses.