solar ventilation system effectiveness

i am told roughly ambient

i assume that the vent will run as long as there is sun, as there is no battery associated with the roof and the roof is not connected to the traction or 12v batteries

i think the solar is mated to the nav every where, not just az (meaning you van get nav or solar/nav but not just solar)
you have to turn the vent system on (there is a switch, so you can disable the system if you want to - like if you were on vac for 2 weeks and you didn't need it to keep the car ambient for 2 weeks if nobody was going to use it)

 

keep in mind that with the solar panel, you get remote A/C.. the remote a/c runs off your traction battery for a few mins. it can be activated from the fob before entering the car.

 

What are the interior temperatures in Az?

 

I don't know about AZ, but here in sunny San Diego, my interior can reach 150 degrees, even when it's a comfortable 80 degrees outside. My Prius has the dark grey interior.

I've done experiments (you can too, with any car) where I parked the car in the sun and measured the increase in temperature over time. I then repeated the measurement over the same length of time but with the interior blower running in a medium speed (drawing in fresh air). I noticed a significant difference. You can run the blower in any car safely for 10-15 minutes on a medium speed without the engine on, and without drawing too much out of the battery.

You can try this in any car, just be sure to make it a fair comparison by starting under the exact same conditions. I started my experiments by taking the car out of a shaded garage at a known temperature, and made sure my car was pointing the same direction at the same time of day with the same clear sky.

 

Mine will be here soon and I will report on the effectiveness as well. My question is, will the solar power venting work in any shade? I always seek out a shady place to park if I can. Will I need full sun, or will there be some power generated with ambient light to run the vent fan?

Lee

 

The only time I ever drove to Phoenix, the Air Conditioner Freon bottle under the hood of my car exploded!!!! It was a really hot drive back to L.A.!!

Damn Datsuns!!

 

Anyone used one of those solar window vent fans before? I have a 1' solar battery charger and I just saw a 15watt/1amp 1.5' panel at Checker Auto for $90. I was thinking of the possiblility of using it for more battery range putting it on the back sun area or dash to run the A/C or even back plug the power while driving? Anyone tried solar panels to boost range or accessory power especially on hills?

 

I would love to test the solar panel on a Prius. A great way to do this would be to have two cars parked side by side, one with and one without the solar powered fan.

Then, use a datalogging thermometer (heat stress meter) to monitor temperature inside the car. It would be best to use two meters, one in each vehicle. I have one at work, and can likely borrow another.

I doubt my wife will buy a 2010 top of the line Prius just so I can do such a study.

So, if some one wants to try an experiment in So Cal (Oxnard area), let me know.

 

Your desire for the Navigation system without Solar seems a little strange to me. You may want to read up on the 2010 Prius Navigation system before getting all excited about it. Some "not so good" reviews by those taking the early plunge. On the other hand, I cannot imagine going without the solar cooling option in a really hot & sunny climate like Arizona. Unless you park your car inside a garage during the day, I think that the comfort provided by the solar cooling option is well worth the expense.

 

well beauty is in the eye of beholder... personally, i have 2 different garmins and 1 chinese nav and they are all laughable compared to latest gen toyota nav. This is for Europe though, even if only difference is maps. You also get few other things as well.

I mean in general, both nav and solar moonroof are luxury options so you dont really need them anyway.