2010 Prius Solar Panel

So what would it take to add an aftermarket solar panel to a current model Prius? Seems like an 80 watt flexible panel, a couple of diodes, and a switch would do it. Does the 2010 setup use a separate ventilation fan, or just the standard A/C fan?

 

Why are we both compromising? I think they should have covered the entire roof with solar panels, and covered the entire interior ceiling with flexible LCD panels. You could select any overhead scenery you wanted (like the walls in Bill Gate's home), or have them flash random colors like the Cash Cab!

 

I'm second to Pat, parking in the shade.
Under the perfect shade, the max interior temp goes to the ambient temp, say 35C or whatever.
Under the direct sun at the same ambient temp, the interior temp becomes more, say 55C or whatever even using the solar ventilation.

It drives the standard A/C fan.

Ken@Japan

 

If we had shaded parking along roadsides with solar panels on the shades feeding into the grid and the poles that hold them up would be a perfect mounting point for a EV recharge station.

 

not really... for 4 months around here, we have 45C-50C in the shade, and it is much, much, much hotter inside the vehicle than outside.

if you leave your car in the sun, of course it is worse, you wont be able to touch steering wheel for 10-15 minutes.

 

If it's 45-50 in the shade, no amount of fan ventilation would make it cooler in the car. The car cabin temperature would be the same as the ambient air temperature.

 

thats just not true. Interior temperature in the car does not equal ambient temperature during hot summers around here. And besides, you can not leave your car in the shade at all times, only when i get lucky with parking spaces.

 

what I am saying is that fan ventilations can't make a car cabin temp cooler than outside air temp OAT.
With infinite fan ventilation, at best, the cabin would be the same temp as OAT, it's an asymptotic curve.

 

Currently 38.8 C and that's a cool day this week so I know it can get hot in a car in the sun.
I'd still like to see remote AC without the solar panel. That would be a very low cost addition.

 

That's called a remote start.

 

No it isn't Rob, it's called remote airconditioning. Remote AC is part of the Prius 2010 with sunroof package.
It doesn't run any other system while it runs the AC from the battery.

 

Ok, but you can add a remote start to a 2004-2009 Prius. Isolating the A/C function from "Ready" mode is something only Toyota knows how to do.

I went looking for a solar panel to add to my 2006, and it doesn't look good. Flexible panels seem to be thin film technology, and they're about 5% efficient. Rigid panels are available at about 16% efficiency. 80 watts of a 5% panel won't fit on the roof. 80 watts of a 16% panel has plenty of space, but would amount to an airfoil on the roof. Prices are also ridiculous. Flexible panels run $20/watt, while rigid ones are about $5/watt.

It appears that you have to use a rigid crystalline cell in order get enough power from the available space. And you probably don't want the glass cover that is normally used with them. So the Toyota solar panel uses unique packaging that you can't currently buy off the shelf.

Apparently the alarm button on the keyfob has been replaced with the A/C button? And I would assume (hope?) that they increased the range to something like 1500 feet? I wonder if the increased range 2010 remote will work with 2004-2009 cars?

 

We don't have an alarm button here, we live in such a nice society that Toyota know it isn't necessary here.
I have plenty of room on my roof for solar panels, on my house roof. I expect a Prius will last 25 years on average but that is just half of how long I expect a solar panel to last. I'll get more out of a solar panel on my house so that's where I'll put mine. My house roof always faces north too!!

 

Couldn't even tell you if the alarm button on my fob works. If it had better range, it would be useful for finding my car in a crowded parking lot. As is, it's useless.

I've got 24 solar panels on my roof at home already. They do absolutely nothing to cool my car when it's baking in the sun at the shopping mall parking lot.

One of the things I've done on a hot day is to leave the car in Ready mode with the A/C ON. I set the brake, shift to Park, turn off the MFD, and put a card on the dash to block the speedometer display. Then get out and lock the car with a mechanical key. It's really nice to get back to the car and enjoy the cool, instead of going from too hot air to even worse inside the car.

The solar panel driven ventilation and remote A/C would be a much better solution. And I'd be willing to use it more often.

 

good one man, good one .

 

Just one question. The remote A/C works only in hot situations? I mean, what happens if the outside temperature is lower than the one you have presetted in the A/C? It will heat up the vehicle?

 

More often than the panels on the roof of your house?
Will you use the solar panels on the car roof for the 25+ years your panels on your house are guaranteed for?
Could the remote AC be offered without the solar panels?
Would remote AC and window shades work almost as well?