Featured Toyota testing new solar powered Prius

I give up...your example at the MSP airport is absolutely not like the one we are talking about. It is basically a full 'roof'. Not plow worries there. I still stand by my statement that plow drivers would F'n hate it. I guess I should ask my neighbor as he is a plow driver. But this debate is kind of silly to begin with and I'll stop now.

 

Ok...I see the internet police caught me. Thx for pointing that out! Haha

Hmm...I am genuinely interested in seeing the setup at Great River Energy but I don't see it via google maps ( street view says 2018 ). Did it just happen? The panels I see are on dedicated parcels of land.

Ok I do see this : Google Maps

If that is it, then that is probably the correct way to implement it ( i.e. - no poles in the middle of the lot ).

 

If the poles for the PV are going down the middle of a double row of parking spaces, the plow can just treat it like a median strip. About a third of the rows at the local Walmart already have such strips. It is where the light poles are placed. Large lots are rarely a clear expanse of pavement to begin with between the lights, curbs, handicap easements, and shopping cart carols.

I know real snow country lots can have light poles, because that is where the outlets for engine block heaters are located. Hell, you can just put a panel or two at the top of said light poles.

 

and yet they managed to sell 1,700 of these in Europe, a smaller market, with the hefty price tag, along with their VAT and sales tax. They would have had to reengineer this for the US market and would not have been cost effective.

I was thinking about a smaller area, not 860W like they have on the test Prime or even the current 180W one on the European Prime, but for the standard Prius along with the Camry and/or Corolla hybrids. This is a far more easily attainable figure. Anything to ultimately reduce the cost in the future and position your product as a technological what do they call it, to go before - Prius.


iPad ? Pro

 

Europe is like Japan, higher fuel costs and fewer home charging opportunities. This makes the PV option more attractive for the price than in the US.

The current one adds about 10km a day, which may be figured using Japanese test cycle numbers. Going smaller means less range added, and may not work out if the goal is to support 12v accessories, which is all the current one is doing while the car is driven.

 

Nevermind, https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-debuts-sporting-solar-panel-roof/

Hyundai beat them to it with a regular hybrid no less.

 

Yeah but for that same amount of money you mean the Europeans couldn't afford this:

 

Those figures make it to be about 0.2 kw, hyundai probably found a less expensive way to use the common solar panels in the roof, but this is similar to the current solar prime (not sold in the US) a refinement of the solar panels toyota sold on the gen III prius.
Toyota brings back the solar panel on the Plug-In Prius Prime - but now it powers the car - Electrek
Maybe hyundai can get costs to consumer down to $1000 from the roughly $3000 toyota charges on the prime. Not many are currently willing to pay for the tech as it does a lot less than some like karma promised. Its why tesla isn't putting them on cars.

The toyota announcement is for more powerful and more expensive tri-junction solar panel R&D. Such a panel would be twice as efficient, and they seemed to make it quite a bit larger covering more of the car. The question is can they drive down cost. To make use of the panel they definitely need a battery similar in size to the current prime's or bigger.

 

A global announcement doesn't mean it will make it to North America.

Some luxury cars had a solar roof for running the vent fans like the gen3 did, and did so before the Prius. They were part of a summer package. Unlike most other luxury features, it hasn't worked its way down to the non-premium brands. Perhaps costs are changing, but getting a markable amount of EV range on a car requires doing something like the Lightyear One.

If they had the property or easement, they could.

I think home ownership in Europe is less likely to mean private parking than it does in the US.

 

Reuters had a bit more information on the solar Prius Prime. Apparently, it does have a buffer battery as Reuters said an extra 180 lbs (80 kg) of batteries was stuffed in the trunk. Probably the reason they call it a solar battery. This seems really close to the current weight of the NiMH battery in most Toyota/Lexus Hybrids.

In addition, “The engineers needed to create a buffer between the car and the cells to protect them, so the actual solar panel modules are closer to a centimeter thick.”

They also interviewed an engineer who said it will be years away before commercialization as they try and bring down the cost and weight.

Toyota tests solar-powered Prius in quest for plugless electric car| Article [AMP]| Reuters


Unsupervised!

 

The already available solar option has a Prius NiMH under the seat to act as a buffer between the panels and the car. Sounds like the experimental system is plugging into that existing one.

 

the "QUEST" .... jeez - is there really such an insurmountable aversion to a plug - that Toyota needs to try to keep their cars as plugless as possible? Where is the study showing plugin owners prefer less plug.
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Plug-in owners usually have their own plug?...

 

"Plug" it's sometimes used interchangeably with receiver & plug socket .... truncating down to simply plug or socket ... referencing either plug &/or socket, turning on context.
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I regularly charge at 5A, but I am not sure what this has to do with Toyota’s reluctance to sell cars with plugs.

 

Maybe the quest shouldn't be to do away with the plug (oops - plug socket) , but up the voltage & amps.

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How about solar cells and plugs. I don't see them as mutually exclusive at all.