Prius Prime Solar Roof

And when asked at the Japan Prime event, Toyota says it was because they didn't think the market would pay the cost. It is a $3000 option in Japan, and we don't know about elsewhere yet. Add to that, that the ability to charge at home is more likely here.

I've heard the safety standard reason. This could be false, and those 15 articles are all repeating the same bad info, which wouldn't be hard in the internet age. Or it could be true, and the fix would increase the price further.

 

I'm leaning towards feasibility. You would need a high percentage of people to purchase this option and when you consider its usability, cost to repair, likelihood to fail or get damaged and how efficient it is, then I think it fails. If it charged your 25 mile electric range in an hour under the sun, then that's very different. Or if it was so efficient that it powered enough to sustain drive, then that would be a thing. Just my 2¢.

 

We have the solar roof on our 2010 Prius ... and it's a nice amenity but probably not worth the added cost. I'm a PV guy, so it's a sort of Earth Flag for us ... and it's cool (literally) when it runs a fan to reduce cabin air temp when the car is parked in the sun. It takes a lot of PV to charge high voltage batteries meaningfully ... more than a car-roof full. I have 11kw on my roof, and they cover over 100 square feet. They'll *help* recharge my Prime when I get it (soon I hope.)

 

I wanted to have that feature. Hot interiors be damned. I can be found opening all 4 doors, then going around to open all 4 windows and then once around again to close all the doors on hot day. If it's very hot, I'll start the car and turn on the AC, recirculate and max, before going around to close the door. Your car has a feature, which I thought was absolutely ingenious. I'm not sure I would pay 3k for it, as I am further north, but you're lucky. Great feature!

 

Curiously, I just read (Tideland as I recall) that the GIII solar roof was supposed to charge the battery, but the regulator was too noisy (electrically), so they changed to just running the fan.
To charge the battery the unit would have to take the output from the panel and boost it to 250+ volts as well as ensure regulation. I guess it wasn't ready soon enough for production, so they shelved that use and installed the smaller and simpler unit to run the fan.

It may be it is still too noisy (FCC regs) and they are hiding that by saying the other reason(s). Certain other countries are not as stringent when it comes to radio noise. And Canada is VERY stringent! Being a HAM I support that!

 

If its "not passing crash standards " its more likely due to idiotic platform laws that should be repealed

Aka if a car comes in multiple configurations, each configuration needs to be crashed and tested individually.

This is why many us cars come without a manual xmsn option
Or any engine choices. Even though neither has any significance affect on crash performance

Pure stupidity

 

Residential electric to many Japanese homes is less powerful than in the US. Level 1 charging the Prime will take 10hrs, and level 2 isn't possible. A solar charger on the car there might be worth the cost in light of that, and the fact that they drive shorter distances in general.

The Prime solar option on the Prime includes a NiMH battery under the rear seat to buffer the system.

 

Toyo has not tested the car with a solar roof, an exterior component shattering will not fail the test.

It's a simple case of economics, even though the solar roof has ZERO effect on the test, Toyo would have to spend millions to test the option separately because "the car is different "

This type of stupidity is why mericans get so little choice compared to the rest of the world.

 

Without getting into an all out political argument, I beg to differ. Putting a solar panel on the roof -does- change the way the car reacts to an impact. The windshield transfers force to the roof. If it's made of something other than the "standard" metal, or metal in some different configuration, then it WILL change the way the car reacts to impact. It's also heavier with the solar panel, and that also changes the way the car reacts. Even if the panel was somehow just "glued" on top of the existing metal, (it isn't), it would change the result, just due to the weight.

 

There is metal under neith the panel the same as your normal car, if anything it would be harder to crush and definitely not worth re testing.

It is pure ignorance that we waste money and remove choice from the market because it's slightly different.

 

And you know this because you tested?

 

This is a feature I have been interested in for a while and seen very few cars with it. Do you have any details about this, how it work, and how the dealers would activate it?

Thanks!

 

Solar option will be avalable in Germany but it comes at a high price and I don't exactly mean financially.
You miss out on HUD,Parking Sensors,RCTA,ICS ,IPA and BSM !

 

It's in the user manual towards the end. I pulled the printed the pages off and marked the modifications I needed. I will be giving them to the dealer to modify and insist that they be complete PRIOR to possession.

 

I have a 2013 prius with the solar panel. The solar panel is the only thing that makes the car look and feel technologically advanced.

I will not buy another prius until the solar panel returns.

I have a white prius with the black glass/solar panel roof with looks just like the BMW M4, several upscale Mercedes models. White with the black glass is a sharp look!!

Please Bring it Back!!!!

 

The problem is most people tend to crash cause they going over the speed limit . They probably blame the Solar roof for the crash. I like the Solar panel it a great ideal.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Any idea on how to just buy flexible solar panels and install them on our own? I know it's a lot more difficult than that but I would be interested in giving it a shot.