Considerring to Buy a PRIUS

I think you would be just as happy with a regular Prius. Ours saves way over $200 a month in fuel savings which pays for its $280 a month payment.

 

Even engineers like safety. When you power up a Prius, the 12 battery charges up the computers which do safety checks looking for electrical faults, only when they all pass do the computers throw relays (both positive and negative are cut off until the relays latch) allowing high voltage to flow.

In normal operation this protects the operator and passengers. in case of an accident, this can save the life of the First Responders, who may be using 'Jaws of Life' and need to know that they are not cutting high voltage lines. First Responders who are afraid to work on your car will not save your life.

Aside from safety, many automotive electrical devices are already made using 12 volts, almost none using high voltage, so a 12 volt subsystem is an economic requirement.


I am please to learn that you know more about the capabilities of the solar panels than the engineers who designed the car.

 

here is my view....current prius nickle battery cost 3200 from toyota dealership after 8yrs if u have to replace...outside half cost......


now PIP has 3 batteries.....and this is new model with new battery...no past record....and cost $ 10000 more than regular prius.....

now after 8yrs....u have worry about 3 batteries....as compare to regular prius ...one battery...and long tract record....

afterall...decison is yours....but we buy prius to save gas and not to worry about add on cost after 8yrs.......


thanks
hp

 

"2. I am 100% positive car batteries can be charged from roof top Solar panel. Toyota put solar panel in the whole roof. We are getting almost 12 hours sun, Just do the math Prius Roof top Solar panel Area multiply by 12 hour, to see how much KW you got."

Sorry - Your 100% WRONG.

 

They are not 100% wrong.. Solar can absolutely used to charge a battery. The problem is that you'll get very little charge. Its not multipley by 12.. (unless you have 12 hours of direct sun and a tracking array. Rather it is multiply by the accumulated sun energy which (It goes down as roughly cos(t)^4., with t being the angle from direct sun facing. For a fixed array its t 5x for a direct south facing set of panels, and if you have the roof a car (which is up, not south facing), maybe 1.5x the rated capacity.


To charge a Pip you need 3kw, so a with a good sun angle you need about 600watts of power (5x raw panel value). So you just need 10 of these
Sunlinq 62W 12V Foldable Solar Panel - 62 Watts 12 Volts

which you can drape over the PiP and 9 other cars...

or just 3 of these

200w solar panel, solar module 200w

Which are only, 58.8"x39.37"x1.77", so you can carry them in the car (making it a 2 seater) and set them up somehow.

If you want to account for less than ideal setup angles, probably need 1000w, or just 5 of the big panels or 15 of the flexible ones.

Oh and you'll need an inverter and a bit of connecting stuff as well. Finally the whole demand draw of the J1772 protocol is a bit of issue so you'd need some added batteries to provide a buffer.



Its 100% possible, just not at all practical. The prius solar roof might provide 200w a day, enough for maybe a mile of charge.

 

It is possible to charge with the solar panel... The problem is, the panel is too small to recharge anything practically. At best, it would be about as effective as tossing a couple of 12v alkaline batteries, which is like a drop in a bucket in recharging.

 

Your welcome.. though you should be aware my comment was trying to show its possible but generally impractical. I've done some military project with portable solar and its not easy.

Adding it to your house, however, is relatively straightforward. I would recommend grid-tie as you can sell the extra power back while you are out.

 

Well, more of the efficiency expectation from the Solar Panel. Unfortunately, our current Solar Cell Technology has like a 30 to 45% efficiency. Solar Cars have been experimented on, however, when you look at them, most of them are suitable for lightweight, aerodynamic, and that is just using straight power from the cells to the electric motor. The practicality of Solar Cell charging a HV battery requires a much bigger panel than what the Prius has, given the Prius' solar panel is about 4' x 2' (Guestimated by picture, I don't have exact dimensions). While you could put in some charging, I don't think it has enough 'umph' to recharge better than the regenerative brakes and even then, the regenerative brakes are only as good at charging the battery if you ride them long distance (IE: generating a lot of 30 wh bars riding the regenerative brakes over a distance of about half a mile to a mile)

Again, Solar Cells are great for generating small amounts of power, but to be effective for larger loads, you need larger panels which is hard to fit onto a car as it is.

 

I am not sure what car you are referring to, certainly no Prius has ever had a NiCad traction battery