Solar Roof Info for 2023 Prius Prime

I'm looking forward to evaluating that option for my needs.

 

The old roof could get 6.1km day under best conditions; 2.9km average. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2017/02/21/toyota-debuts-new-prius-with-rooftop-pv-option-in-japan/

The new one might see a third of a kilometer more at best case. Assuming the same level of EV efficiency.

 

it's a tough one, because it depends on latitude, sun longevity and clear skies

 

And its price.

 

My 2017 Prius PHV gets around 7 km of energy per day, in summer with correct exposition and clean roof.
The solar charge system fitted in my Prius is a bit cumbersome: the energy coming from the solar cells flows into a small NiMh battery placed under the aft armrest.
When such battery is full, HSD is temporary awakened (probably due to the need to activate the DC/DC converter) and the NiMH battery is emptied into the LiIon traction battery.
I know it because the anti theft system fitted in my car had to be patched by its manufacturer due to false alarms provoked by HSD temporary awakening.
Anyway I am curious about the solar charge system has been implented in the 2023 Prius PHV w/ solar roof. Did Toyota followed the same design of the MY 2017?

 

I'm not looking for a cost effective solution. What appeals to me about it is the 1 mile of charge per hour of sunlight. That's assuming that the car travels 4.5 miles per kWh like my 2017 model does. 200 watts would be enough to recharge after a 2 mile drive to the dentist. He takes up to 2 hours for a visit.

The good side is that before the novacaine wore off I'd have at least enough power to get home even if there is a power failure, rationing of gasoline/electricity or restrictions on charging from home solar panels or from home backup generators. All of those situations have come to pass or have been discussed / proposed by the California utilities and government.

I believe that at some point in the not so distant future it will be quite advantageous to have a mobile power source that is independent of the whims of big business and governments.

 

Well, the traction battery is now where the solar was in the previous model. Maybe it directly charges the main battery now.

 

I guess it won't matter to me, but I'm rooting for another five billion years or so.

 

I wrote “aft” armrest while I should have wrote “forward” armrest - I am sorry english is my second language- anyway considering the amount of “costs-wise” modifications implemented in 2023 Prius your hypothesis makes a lot of sense…

 

The European presentation, now old (they talk of 69 km range and 19 g/km CO2, obsolete data), shows that the buffer solar roof battery is gone and the 12V battery (?) charged by the solar roof while driving, moved in the trunk. See the first pic with the gen 4 layout and the 2nd relative to the gen 5:





@E-GINO : Laevus is saying the old EU rated spec for gen 4 solar roof was 5 km, do you remember it? 8,7 km over 5 km will give some 300 W for the gen 5.
P.S. The same 5 km is mentioned by Toyota IT newsroom:
TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN: OGGI IN OFFERTA LANCIO A SOLI 34.900 EURO

This is the full video:

I want to add a consideration: Homologation tests EPA or WLTP are unlikely to use the charge to the 12V given by the solar roof during driving, which is expected, with all the electric devices on board, to amount to something. I'm expecting some real life better FE for this.

 

Well, I thought Toyota had used the NiMH battery from the hybrid for the solar system, and that went under the rear seat.

 

It is nice to know that now the buffer battery is gone: less weight, less complications and provably better efficiency due to direct flow… still I like to know how exactly it has been implemented.

@Maxwell61:in merit to my records of MY 2017 solar roof, read here if you please

 

That's cute.

My solar roof puts out 465 watts.

 

That sounds interesting. I'm assuming that you are feeding the traction battery of the car. Is that correct? How about a few specs? Please?

Did you do the upgrade, or was that a professional work?
Which car are you using? The, year, model and make is sufficient.
Did you have to change the car's charging system firmware, hardware or software?
How many watt hours does your installation provide to the battery pack per day? (after losses)
What's the amps at the quoted 465 watt output?
What is the surface area of the installation, in sq feet?
What's the output (volts, amps, watts.. any two is fine) when partially shaded?
Did it impact your car's aerodynamics?
How many miles per kWh were you able to travel before the add-on?
How many miles per kWh are you traveling now?
Did the wind noise go up, or did it go down after the install?
Did the passenger compartment temperatures go up with the install, or did the temperatures go down due to the extra shade?
What are you doing to protect the solar panels from heat, impact, etc?
What's the weight of your aftermarket solar installation add? I would guess that there's mounting hardware, charger, cables, panels and probably a storage battery to store the low voltage energy for up converting to something the EV's charging circuit can use.

Thanks!

 

The problem with the solar-roof option is that it is only available on the XSE Premium, which has poor fuel efficiency and EV range because you can't get the 17" wheels with it; so, you are still far better off getting the SE trim with the 17" wheels instead.

 

That sounds really interesting. I will most likely go for solar roof, as I was bummed out I had to choose between blind spot monitoring, HUD, JBL, front beepers or no extra equipment and solar roof on 2016-2022 PHV model.
On 2023 PHV, you probably can have pretty much everything and solar on top of that. That's nice, you won't have to sacrifice some feature to get another.

 

Thats a great idea that needs to develop further. Unfortunately now, I just don't see it as practical for an average person who is looking to improve mpg. I guess the idea is that it will eventually be integrated from the start into cars. To replace this right now, I can't help but wonder what it would do to a car warranty. Not to mention ROI.

 

If has the same area, then it will be 214 W.

Nevertheless, I don't see the point of having the solar roof since you can't have the 17" tires with it, as they are not available on XSE Premium. Perhaps the solar roof can partially make up for the ~ 20%-lower efficiency and BEV range of the 19" tires of the XSE Premium trim.