Some new information on the non-US bound solar roof

...if you left the car parked in the sun all week or more, could it totally charge the 8 kwhr? or is it limited to the a certain amount?

 

Tideland Prius - My understanding is the current Toyota solar panel is not even connected to the HV battery. If true, it cannot charge it at all. Now, do we believe the G4's solar panel will be connected?

 

yes, we do. it's not a matter of belief, but facts. the gen 3 solar roof was to power a fan to remove hot air from the car.
prime solar roof is to charge the battery. you can find all the tech details on priuschat.

 

What you charge when the car is parked is used later for driving. Such a separate storage in the NiMH battery makes that you can charge it in addition to a fully charged HV battery. So you can have more charge with you to start with than only in the HV battery, and therefore an extended EV range. If the solar panels simply would charge the HV battery, then you would not have such an extension of the EV range.

 

I have this sneaking suspicion that Toyota will limit it somehow to prevent a full battery at rest (storage/extended parking). The NiMH can be seen as a buffer and not a very large one. I'd be surprised if the NiMH battery was able to store more than twice the max output of the solar panel, which is about 570 W/h. My best guess is the NiMH is about 280 Wh or less.


Unsupervised!

 

My guess is 1.3 kWh. Who else?

But the usable part can be less, maybe 60% (from 20% to 80%), so what remains would be 780 Wh. This probably is 10-15% of the usable part of the 8.8 kWh HV battery, which explains the claim that 10% extra EV range can be achieved by the solar roof.

 

Hey...why did the Gen3 solar roof pass USA roof strength test? while the Prime solar roof does not? That might be a good question.

 

Most of the articles I read specifically mentions the non-US bound Prime solar roof used reinforced glass as the base for the solar cells. To meet US automotive safety requirements, the solar roof needs to be on laminated safety glass.


Unsupervised!

 

From the translations, it sounds like the NiMH acts as a charging buffer, but the details exactly how it works, and why are light. Perhaps it could charge the main pack once that small one is full; don't know either way yet.
Perhaps the electric generation rate of the panels is too low, or simply too variable, for efficient charging of the main pack directly.
As Jan Treur states, it could be to allow the benefit of a solar charge with a full main pack. I'll add more in that it might be needed in order to solar charge and grid charge at the same time.

Which will likely increase cost. That wasn't a big deal for the small panel to run the gen3 fan, or the panel was small enough to not need to meet said requirement, or it is a newer requirement.

My guess is that US regulations is treating the Prime panel as a glass roof because of its size.

 

If the solar option cost $1 more, I'd decline it. In fact, I'd decline it if were free. It just seems like too much of a liability for too little benefit if any.

 

i think i would take it for free, but i would want more info first.

edit: and not from a dealer.

 

I'd probably have to test drive one with the solar roof and one without. Of course I might end up with a Prime long before it showed up as a U.S. option.


iPad ?

 

my only problem is, i park in the shade whenever possible.

 

I will claim ignorance, and pardon my curiosity...

In this day and age, why did they make a car that needs to use THREE batteries, instead of the one (or two of traditional hybrids), just to go 20-something miles on electric? Why not just have ONE battery to do it all...? This just seems so clunky and complex.

 

you can't charge the battery, and deplete it at the same time. apparently.

 

We have open lots closest to my work building, but prefer to walk a bit to keep the car in a parking structure rain or shine. No UV exposure, no hot car, no rain, no bird droppings = priceless.