Toyota secretly developing solar powered car.

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Rybold, Jan 1, 2009.

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  1. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    According to Japan's Nikkei newspaper, Toyota is secretly developing a solar powered car. You might think to yourself 'big deal. it's not possible today, and I'm sure there's better news out there." But, you need to realize that this means that Toyota literally has a team/department that is actually dedicating itself right now to trying to make a solar-powered car.

    The car has solar cells on the actual car, as well as a battery pack that is recharged from solar cells on the roof of the owner's home.

    According to the newspaper, in these tough economic times, it is even more important for Toyota to have "special value" in the eyes of the public, such as being the leader in going green (aka. the future).
    "Toyota executives have stressed they won't cut back on environmental research despite its troubles. Toyota has already begun using solar panels at its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan to produce some of its own electricity. The solar panels on the roofs add up in size to the equivalent of 60 tennis courts and produce enough electricity to power 500 homes, according to Toyota. Toyota is also likely to indirectly gain expertise in solar energy when its partner in developing and producing hybrid batteries, Panasonic Corp., takes over Japanese rival Sanyo Electric Co., a leader in solar energy, early next year."
    Report: Toyota developing solar powered green car - Yahoo! News
     
    #1 Rybold, Jan 1, 2009
  2. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    "Toyota is working on an electric vehicle that will get some of its power from solar cells equipped on the vehicle, and that can be recharged with electricity generated from solar panels on the roofs of homes. "

    first part : the 2010 prius with solar panels
    second part : the 2010+ plugin version..

    nothing special.
     
    #2 Flying White Dutchman, Jan 1, 2009
  3. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Oh no, this is very special
    This is why I own a Prius, the Prius is the key to this kind of development. Without the Prius there is no bridge and the chasm is too wide to cross without a bridge. That is the chasm between fossil fuelled, electric and solar electric.
    Prius is just step 1
    PHEV is step 2
    Solar charged and maintained PHEV step 3
    Pure solar electric with touring range and fast roadside charging is step 4.
    Most people can't see the end goal from where they are but they can see the next step. Well they might need someone to show them where to look.
    Baby steps my friend.

    Here is my dream, 500km (300mile) range at highway speeds, 20 minute charge. This allows you to drive for 4 hours at 110km/h with a range buffer, stop for a half hour to eat while recharging then continue for another 4 hours. This allows one to cover 1200km in 13 hours, 12 hours of driving. You will see roadhouses along the highway at strategic distances apart with charge stations lined up in the carpark. These places will be a gold mine, not for power sales but food sales which is where the money is in country roadside stops.

    Hey FWD, what if these roadside stops have gyms in them? How cool would that be?
     
    #3 patsparks, Jan 1, 2009
  4. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    it might be nothing special in 2012, but now it sure is :).

    patspark - i see that you have a dream :).
     
    #4 spwolf, Jan 1, 2009
  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Just incorporate a pair of handles and a linear generator in the seat so you and the passengers can row the car across the continent:
    [​IMG]

    Bob Wilson
     
    #5 bwilson4web, Jan 1, 2009
  6. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    She's gonna get sweat on my leather seats. Plus I'm gonna need a floor drain or something. :madgrin:
     
    #6 dogfriend, Jan 1, 2009
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That's good. Hopefully it can trickle down to regular hybrids.
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Jan 1, 2009
  8. gmalis1

    gmalis1 New Member

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    The solar powered car should work great in the winter...after I scrape the 6 inches of snow off the roof of the car. Plus factor in the 85% cloudy days in Chicago...yeah, this will work out just fine.

    I'm gonna need a step ladder to reach the top of the car to clear off the snow!
     
    #8 gmalis1, Jan 1, 2009
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    AFAIK from the hints we've gotten about this system is that it's primary use will be to assist the air conditioning (cooling) in the summer heat. It would make sense that the extra solar energy collected could/would be stored...somewhere...for other uses. In any case it's a good idea to get that snow off the roof for FE reasons and for the safety of other cars when that slap of snow/ice comes flying off going down the highway.
     
    #9 efusco, Jan 1, 2009
  10. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    That's where the regen exercise bike comes in handy. :D

    In the future, the govt will mandate a 60min period in which everyone will plug their exercise bikes into the power grid. Or maybe we will rotate on shifts. just a thought. sounds like China or Orwell's 1984, but it's still a cool idea. Maybe it will work in the US by issuing tax credits for pedal power. :)
     
    #10 Rybold, Jan 1, 2009
  11. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Then there will be those of us with powered rowing machines.
     
    #11 patsparks, Jan 1, 2009
  12. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    As I was reading the postings a comment was getting formulated, then I got sidetracked......

    some time later, neurons got back in sync......now



    What Toyota seems to be pursuing is the secret Tesla plan for overtaking the universe.
     
    #12 FL_Prius_Driver, Jan 1, 2009
  13. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    Giant mirrors. Yes, giant mirrors in the South will relay sunlight to the North, below the cloud cover. Vertical solar cells in the North will capture the photons.

    Hey, that's actually a good idea. I wonder if there's any reason it wouldn't be feasible.
     
    #13 Rybold, Jan 1, 2009
  14. burritos

    burritos Senior Member

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    #14 burritos, Jan 1, 2009
  15. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    Re: Toyota to build solar cars

    My bet is on the Volt.

    Solar powered cars already exist and they look like this:

    [​IMG]

    I doubt we will be seeing a production version anytime soon.

    The article says that Toyota is working on an EV with a solar panel for supplemental charging that could be charged from home based solar arrays. They hope someday to have a EV powered by solar cells mounted on the car.
     
    #15 JSH, Jan 1, 2009
  16. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Every museum should have a bicycle generator demonstration so that more people will appreciate the potency of electric power.

    A fit person, or a square yard of Solar cells in direct Sunlight, can generate 200 Watts, enough to run two incandescent lamps or 8 CFLs. Not enough to run most PCs or TVs. A Prius uses about 40,000 Watts while cruising at highway speed.
     
    #16 richard schumacher, Jan 1, 2009
  17. direstraits71

    direstraits71 Member

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    Your numbers are quite reasonable, as the maximum power available from the sun is approximately 1000 watts per square meter. That's with a surface at a right angle to the sun's rays and allowing for atmospheric attenuation. Add in some cloud cover and the game is over. Pretty hard to see how anything that can be mounted on a car can contribute much power. Powering any practical car for any distance on the sun that hits it is just not possible. A Prius covered with solar cells might keep its 12 Volt battery charged, but that's about it.

    Until they pass some new laws of physics we're out of luck on making a car go down the road on the sun it soaks up. :)
     
    #17 direstraits71, Jan 1, 2009
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    #18 Tideland Prius, Jan 2, 2009
  19. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    Re: Toyota to build solar cars

    I think society needs to shift their thinking. We need to ditch the idea of a car powered entirely from on-board solar cells, and instead focus on the more practical idea of a car powered entirely from electricity generated from solar cells that are on the owner's house or a carport. It can still be called a "solar-powered car," albeit in a more logical form.

    I wonder how much different the solar car ABOVE would perform if it had an on-board battery and regenerative braking.

    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

    #19 Rybold, Jan 2, 2009
  20. Road Fan

    Road Fan One-Prius,one Audi,7-bike Family

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    If she looks like that I'll live with it, but my wife might not approve.
     
    #20 Road Fan, Jan 2, 2009
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