Some new information on the non-US bound solar roof

It seems that the Japanese explanation for the picture on the right means that, while driving, the solar panel supply some power for the 12v auxiliary equipments (not exactly as charging the 12V battery directly?).
And the picture somehow confuses me ... what is the 2nd NiMH doing while driving? Can't see it in the picture on the right.

 

I would say the NiMH has already transferred its stored energy back to the lithium pack and is now waiting for you to park the car. Which leads me to another question: Does the NiMH battery only transfer its charge to the lithium battery when the car starts or is it continuously charging the lithium battery? Probably for safety reasons only when the car starts which means, parking your car at the airport for a few days will not result in a full Lithium battery when you return. And as small as that NiMH battery is it will have to use a DC-DC converter just to transfer it's charge anyways.

Can the NiMH be used as an emergency jumpstart battery in case the 12V loses its charge? And if so is it selectable with a button? Probably not, but that might be a cool feature.

Is there an indicator that shows SOC for the NiMH? Or whether the NiMH battery transferred the charge? If so this might be a selling point for people who live in an apartment and have no way to charge. I could see a kind of stationary stacking method by apartment dwellers who regularly go out to their car and start it just to transfer the stored charge. Ha ha first production car sold with a wireless recharge capability.


iPad ?

 

Very interesting.
What is the yellow box on top of the Li Batt in Figure B on the right? Why is it not shown in the Figure A?

This is our first look at the Li batt and does look like there should be some cubby spaces behind the wheels.

Almost looks like this solar charging version is the fundamental Prime design strategy/vision (the "missing link" we've been searching for). We just did not get that car (yet) in the USA. Maybe we got the solar Prime without the solar? Otherwise they could have given us a Prime designed for 5 seats with better cargo space.

 

without someone interpreting the writing, we're left in the dark.

 

I would much rather just have the solar powered ventilation & sunroof option just like on the Gen 3. and let it charge the battery some too. But I really want the sunroof !

 

is the 12v under the hood on non solar?

 

I use the Google Translate App, which could scan & translate picture with characters.
Here are the results from above pictures, with some of my editing:

Top Lines
ソーラー ECU 、 ソーラー バッテリー、 ソーラー ルーフ で 構成 .
ソーラー ルーフ で 発電 し た 電力 は 、 ソーラー ECU を 介し て 状況 に 応じ て 駆動用 バッテリー や 12V バッテリー に 供給 し ます.
System consists: solar ECU, solar battery, solar roof.
Electric power is generated by the solar roof, and then supplied to the drive battery (PHV Li-ion battery) and 12V battery, depending on the situation determined by the solar ECU.

(1) ソーラー ECU
DC / DC コンバーター を 内蔵 し 、 ソーラー ルーフ の 発電電力 を 各 バッテリー に 供給 する ため の エネルギー マネジメント を 行い ます.
(1) Solar ECU
With built-in DC / DC converter, does the energy management for supplying electric power generated by the solar roof.

(2) ソーラー バッテリー
発電電力 の 一時保管用電池 として 働き ます . [ 種類: ニッケル 水素 バッテリー]
(2) Solar battery
Acts as a temporary storage for the generated electric power. [ Type: nickel-metal hydride battery ]

(3)ソーラー ルーフ
量産車搭載 ソーラー パネル として は 世界最高 の 最大出力約 180W * を 実現 し て い ます . 自社測定値
(3) Solar roof
It has achieved the world's highest record of production car equipped with solar panels with a maximum output of about 180W. (Toyota's own measurements)

Bottom Left Lines
駐車中 駆動用 バッテリー を 充電
ソーラー 発電 の 電力 を ソーラー バッテリー に 一時充電 し た 後 で 、 まとめ て 駆動用 バッテリー に 送る こと で システム の 電力消費 を 低減 し て 効率良く充電 し ます.
While parking, charges the drive battery.
The solar roof charges the solar battery for temporarily storage, sending to the drive battery in batch, for better charging efficiency.

Bottom Right Lines
走行中 駆動用 バッテリー の 消費 を 低減
ソーラー 発電 の 電力 により 12V バッテリー 系統 の 消費 を 補う こと で 、 駆動用 バッテリー の 電力消費 を おさえ EV 走行距離 や 燃費 の 向上 に 貢献 し ます.
While driving, reduces the power consumption of the drive battery.
By compensating for the consumption of the 12V system with the power of solar power generation, it will contribute to the improvement of the EV mileage and fuel consumption suppressing the power consumption of the drive battery.

It means reducing the power consumption of the big Li-ion battery in the back.
The 12V battery is not outlined in the picture or it is together with PCU in the front.
Normally, the 12V system (including auxiliary devices & the 12V battery) is powered by HV battery through DC/DC converter (for all Toyota HVs),
now the job could be partially & together done with the solar power generation system while driving.
And ... it seems that the small NiMH battery is offline while driving.

 

don't EVEN go there

180 watts is in an ideal world, where the sun is perpendicular (ok, if you live on the equator ... AND live there during the summer solstice) and the earth stops spinning - otherwise during early/late hours, that's NOT the case. OH, and you better live in this land at 8,000 foot elevation ... otherwise it is VERY VERY hot in this imaginary world, so said heat easily knocks 15% efficiency off the top of your panel. Live in the land of regular folks & you'd be lucky to maybe get a 1/5 watt hour out of it what with clouds, underpasses, northerly latitudes, shade trees, parking garages etc. It's bigger than the old panel, and it's cute & clever ... but there is still a bit of the gimmicky factor to the whole notion of a panel.
.

 

Sounds like the potential generation rate of the solar panels is too low for anything but powering the 12 volt side. Even efficiently charging the Li-ion pack directly isn't possible. Have to use the small NiMH pack as a buffer for that.

 

the first paragraph of grus post says, 'TOP LINES' electric power is generated by the solar roof, and supplied to the drive battery. (phv li-on battery)

it actually sounds pretty cool, but it will be nice to find the cost/benefit ratio. and like all things solar, it depends on where you live and your driving/parking habits.

i wouldn't call it a gimmick, as much as an investment in the future.

 

You don't understand what I did (maybe my explanation was too minimal). The estimation of the kWh I made is not calculated from the 180 Wp, but from what I get in practice on a sunny day for a panel with same flat angle almost all seasons of the year. I have four of such panels, and they even have one or two hours of shade in the morning. So it is based on empirical information.

P.S. If I did use the calculation from the 180 Wp, per sunny day it simply would be 12 hours times 180 W = 2.2 kWh, and this indeed would be absurd, because of the different angles of the sun over time.

 

In the new topic about prices it is indicated that in Japan the solar roof option is only available for the most luxury version, which is 30% higher in price than the basic version. Buying this version only for the solar roof means that you pay for that option about 10.000 dollar, which makes it a very expensive option.

 

ouch! you get nothing else with it? not even toyota rose colored sunglasses?

 

agreed -
and in addition to your points about your solar output, in the Netherlands you can get your Optimum Power by simply facing the panel's south towards the Sun. Since you are pretty far north you have cool temperatures & don't suffer from diminished efficiency via temperatures in excess of 30°C. A solar roof on a car - of course, is curved and therefore never gets ideal sun on some portions of its roof panel.

 

Yes, ideally that's true. But between ideal and realisation sometimes there are practical limitations that stand in the way. In my own case I only have 1/3 of my panels in an almost ideal angle and orientation South-South-West, and even those have one or two hours of shade in the morning. And, as said, some of my panels are just positioned flat, which makes their annual production 20% less (which is still 80%).

 

As cool a feature as it is, and the fact I normally park in a huge treeless parking lot that is ideally pointed north-south for about 10 hours a day, I'm pretty sure I won't get it. Just doesn't tweak my nerd gland as much as I know it's going to cost. I like the idea about making enough juice to engage the remote AC without guilt, run the fan without impacting EV mileage, add EV miles when I visit friends or run errands, and the fact I live where I can count on one hand the number of times it gets 30C (86F) or higher, the extra weight (all the time) and extra cost just scares me off. Not too sure I want my car to be that top heavy, especially a small one.

Oh yeah and that other reason, the other wait. If I get a Prime it would sooner rather than later.


iPad ?

 

That's actually quite amazing.
Consider you are Japan and you own no fossil fuels for gaso or electricity gen.
How about a car that needs no fuel or elec grid for a significant period, and sips 60 MPG gaso when you do need fuel?

Perhaps we are underestimating Toyota's accomplishment with Prime. But it sounds maybe expensive to do that solar trick.

USA Prime we have different needs: we could use a few less MPG and 5 seats and more cargo space. Instead we got a car designed for self-solar power. And the darn thing is, we don't even get the car with solar apparently due to USA safety regulations.