Solar roof and mpg

It comes with the Technology package, which apparently is very popular, so I question Toyota making very few of them. The sun roof is a very nice addition. Doesn't take up any space inside the vehicle. Don't know about the weight, but I'm averaging 5.2 liters per 100 km.

 

There is no way the moonroof weighs more than 100 pounds. 60 lbs is more like it, aftermarket units weigh around 50-60. There's nothing special about the roof like it being bulletproof or something, even then I doubt it would be over 100 lbs. It's a piece of glass, a small motor and some thin aluminum tracks. Throw in some wires and a switch and you're done. The solar panels themselves I can't imagine being that heavy either. The fans are already there.

If any dealer tells you this adds 300+ pounds to the car they are either lying or misinformed, and possibly both.

 

I have this option and I'm getting 50.8 mpg... nearing the end of my first tank of gas. I have done a mix of in town and highway driving... and a mix of air conditioning and sunroof usage. Hope this helps. By the way, I'm not a hypermiler.

 

I have the sunroof an am getting roughly 55 mpg all the time and I drive ALOT! I have about 4,000 miles on my car already. LOVE the sunroof.

 

Video owner seems to have taken that down.

Updated link:

The custom sunroof looks pretty slick. I wish they would take more photos/video of it at different angles to see how they manage the aerodynamically shaped roof.

 

standard metal roof is very light since its basically aluminum stretched over a steel frame. if you were to throw in the solar panel along with the sunroof, the entire kit would weigh what??

well, lets conjecture a bit. TRIPLE glazed windows twice the size weigh just over 120 lbs.(couldnt find a good line on something closer in size. this is 4 by 6 and the heaviest one at that size) i would have to say that the entire system is lighter than this.

its kinda funny really since the biggest impact on mileage is probably going to be if the roof is open or closed. i can honestly say that the only time i ever saw a mileage penalty due to weight was the time we packed the entire Pri with IKEA furniture and that penalty was probably around 2 mpg (was actually only about 1.7 mpg, but i think our loaded trip was a slightly better gas mileage day. hard to quantify since its nearly 50 miles one way) and we all know that unassembled IKEA furniture takes up little space but weighs a ton. probably had at least 300 lbs in there

 

what we really need is for a pkg 3 and a 4 with solar to go weigh themselves and report back. record your tank reading as well to account for variables, post your weight if you cannot weigh car alone, etc.

 

I think what some of you really need is a hobby. This thread is a circle with the same thing asked over and over and answered over and over. I don't understand why so many folks place the typical "car salesman" in the "car expert category" and I am surprised when folks fall for stories as stupid as this. The guy wants to sell you a car they can easily get instead of a car that is more difficult to get--that's all there is to this BS. :rockon::rockon::rockon::rockon::rockon:

 

I'm not going to guess what he is full of, but I will say he blew this estimation. I bet he overestimated the weight of solar panels.

They are not that heavy. The most similar commercially available panel kyocera sells is the KC65, which is 13 pounds. (The Prius panels are custom made and have slightly less power) Since these are just over 2 feet X 2 feet, I'd guess you'd need around 2 of them to do the roof.

New Prius Debuts with Kyocera's Solar Cells -- Tech-On!

 

No, the topic has run out of steam and is repetitive. I have the SR and got 56 MPG on my first tankful. Whether it weighs 30 pounds or 400 pounds (which is a joke) doesn't matter. Also, what would any salesperson really know about the weight of each component of the car?

 

I think you need to go to Toyota for answer; nobody here would no this info sure either.

Ros, it is nothing personal and I like you. I guess I don't what difference it makes what it weighs, and it probably is a given fact that the "stereotypical" salesperson makes half the stuff anyhow. Also, I have seen several threads on this topic that all seem to go in circles. And, I am having a no good, very bad, day! Sorry.

 

Hey Ros, The only one I think could get you a "real" answer is "Prius Team, Toyota Marketing USA." I would PM them.

 

Here is one of the sources of the 28 kilo (about 62lbs) estimate:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...cussion/63369-2010-sunroof-adds-28-kilos.html

 

Ah Hmm

Conversion efficiency of the solar roof module, which has 36 solar cells, is 16.5%, according to Kyocera. Average output of the 25-kg (55-lb) system is 56 W; the company would not reveal the figure for maximum wattage.
Energy/Environment - Automotive Engineering International Online

But wait, does that include the sun roof part? Discuse....