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What will they have the Prius do next? (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9725898-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Solar_Powered_Prius.jpgMartin LaMonica - CNET - June 5, 2007

With a maximum output of 1,200 Wh/day in perfect conditions, the claims of 20 miles do not match our daily realities but it is a cool idea.

Attempts to power hybrid cars with solar panels have been around for a few years. But now a company called Solar Electrical Vehicles is producing commercially available after-market panels for hybrids, starting with the Toyota Prius.

The fiberglass, molded panels fit on top of 2004-2007 Prius models. They are attached using an epoxy glue. Unlike previous attempts, these panels fit the curve of the roof.

To maximize your sun power and driving range, you need a larger battery installed than what comes standard with the Prius, according to company founder Greg Johanson, who says that battery storage is the most challenging aspect for solar-powered cars.

In terms of distance, the panels will get you up to 20 miles a day, depending on the size of the battery. They can improve fuel efficiency by up to 29 percent. The standard-equipped Prius battery, recharged by the sun, will take you about two miles at under 35 miles per hour … http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9725898-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

While the power is somewhat limited, you could leave this Prius for six months and not have to worry about the batteries!

Convert the hood and you up it to 40miles. Add the side panels and get 60?

I was just thinking about this yesterday.

I was wondering if you could also add some thermoelectric modules as well. Unfortunately you need at least 100 degrees to barely get 1 volt but I'm hoping there's improvement from here.

Imagine a car battery that is recharged using sunlight, sunheat, regenerative breaking, and some modified wave converter that feeds off the irregularities in the road. You can easily extend the use from a battery by a lot.

Cost aside is this a decent idea?

Whoo hoo! They replied to my email:

Dan,

Thank you for the interest in the solar charging system developed by Solar Electric Vehicles (www.solarelectricalvehicles.com). Our solar charging system is unique to the market because its one of few aftermarket upgrades that actually pays for itself over time. We are currently only offering the kit for the 2004 to 2006 Toyota Prius. At this point, we are also planning to adapt the solar roof to other vehicles. We are taking reservations for a production toward the end of the year. (Production will commence once 30 pre-orders are received each with a $500 deposit). If you are interested in proceeding, please contact Greg Johanson directly (XXX-XXX-XXXX xXXX) to place the order and inquire as to program specifics.

The solar charging system (patent pending) was developed to enable the Toyota Prius with hybrid synergy drive (HSD) to drive for extended miles in the “EV mode”. The stock Prius has up to 2 miles of EV mode driving but the cars equipped with our solar charging system have up to 20 miles of EV mode driving range per day. This extended EV mode driving range translates to an increase in average fuel economy of up to 70 miles per gallon.

In order to provide additional information on the system and its benefits, please let me know what you are looking for (system specifications, ROI, etc…). The system starts at $4500, which includes the solar modules, electronics, and a 2.3 sealed lead acid battery. The 120 VAC plug-in is an additional $1000. We do not install the kits at this point in time, but recommend that you consult your local mechanic. Installation should take about one to two days.

You can also purchase additional batteries at EDrive in Pasadena, CA through Greg Hansen. They can provide a plug-in to home system as well. http://www.edrivesystems.com/

If you live out of state/country, F.O.B. (freight on board), Westlake Village, CA charges and sales tax will be additional. DVD and installation manual to be included with roof shipment.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at your convenience.

Sincerely,
Greg Johanson
President
Solar Electrical Vehicles
xxxx@solarelectricalvehicles.com
www.solarelectricalvehicles.com

So it sounds like it's really a Lead-Acid PHEV kit with solar panels hooked into it. $4500 for the Solar Kit, $1000 for the PHEV option. Solar PHEV Prius = $5500 + install. Not bad. Now if they would offer 6 year financing I'm totally on board. Otherwise they will have to wait till my car payment is finished before I can tack some solar panels up.

One bit that made me chuckleWe do not install the kits at this point in time, but recommend that you consult your local mechanic. Installation should take about one to two days.No offense to Houston mechanics, but if it's not a truck, good luck! I tried to get my block heater and EV button installed both at my local mechanic and at the Toyota dealer. They both thought that I was a raving lunatic and uttered my favorite declaration of idiocyI've done this 20 years, and I've never heard of such a thing in my lifeI'm kinda in the boons so if anyone knows some sharp mechanics, let me know. I may give them a shot at the Solar install in a few years.

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Hey, that's not bad. My daily commute is almost exactly 20 miles one-way. Priapus sits in the sun all day long anyway. I could totally envision letting him sit there for 9 hours powering up for the 20-mile drive home.

One can only assume that there's some trickling of power while the car is in motion as well. So if you're driving in the sun, regen should be slightly enhanced.

From the article: "It is way cooler driving down the freeway and have people pulling up alongside and giving you a big thumbs up. It's hope for the future," he says.Personally, I can't see the roofs of other cars so only those in SUVs will know and most of them will probably throw something opaque on the panels just to annoy me.

While I think is is neat and I love it for the gadgetry of it, the payoff seems unattractive to me. With my current gasoline usage rate in a non-hybrid this thing would take at least 8 years to pay for itself. Considering I would likely not keep any car beyond the 10 year point, and my track record is more like the 6 year point, even if I managed to break even there'd be little gain beyond that.

In other words, for me this would just be an expensive conversation piece.

Can you imagine how advantageous this would be for my commute? I get 120+ to work without using much EV at all. I park on a downtown roof in sunny Austin, soaking up the rays for 8 hours. I go home at 120+ using EV for half of my commute home or more. Maybe I should run the numbers. :)

1200 Wh/day in perfect sun sounds believable, but 20 miles on 1200 Wh? If that were true, I could convert my Subaru to EV tomorrow for next to nothing using a couple of go-kart batteries. The fact that this thing relies on a single SLA battery should be a dead giveaway: there is no way you're going to get an extra 20 miles a day out of this thing. Not even with a hypermiler behind the wheel.

It's been a couple months since I looked into it, but IIRC the rule of thumb with EVs is to expect 2-4 miles per kWh, maybe towards the high end of that range if you have an efficient AC motor as in the Prius. So if you leave your car parked in the sun all day you might be able to get 5 extra miles on the same amount of fuel. That's going to add up to significant savings, but nowhere near what is claimed.

Hi All:

___As WriConsult pointed out, a Prius at its peak is still pushing some 150 Wh/mile and that is when driven to beyond 120 mpg’s. This 1,200 Wh system in perfect sun (nobody receives perfect sun) is at best a 3mile free ride for the average driver with 9 hours between stop and start. Topping off the std. pack, powering a block heater or running an aux cooling fan is not a problem but 20 miles is absolute BS.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wouldn't this solar panel also benefit non-hybrids if you used it to charge a battery hooked up to an engine block heater?

Y'know, it's occurred to me a couple of times that a direct
*solar* block heater would be a pretty cool thing. The
engine sits in a cold little cave under there, even if the
day has turned warm, and it would have been lovely to be
able to swap all that heat in the cabin for all that cool
in the engine [instantly, magically] and pull 60+ first
segments... solar heat is still way more energy capture
than PV, even though the panels are getting better.
.
_H*

Y'know, it's occurred to me a couple of times that a direct
*solar* block heater would be a pretty cool thing. The
engine sits in a cold little cave under there, even if the
day has turned warm, and it would have been lovely to be
able to swap all that heat in the cabin for all that cool
in the engine [instantly, magically] and pull 60+ first
segments... solar heat is still way more energy capture
than PV, even though the panels are getting better.
.
_H*

I know your line of thought is to tap solar energy directly, but would it also be possible to tap the pack to throw a few hundred Wh at a block heater? I'd be willing to sacrafice 2-3 bars SoC if I could start the engine at 60 °C. I'd always thought it would be possible if propperly engineered ;). Plus the SEV kit comes with a 3 kWh (http://www.solarelectricalvehicles.com/articles/prius-white-paper.shtml) Lead-Acid battery, which would give you a much larger energy resevuar and should be more than enough juice to heat a block moderately.

My thoughts were to use a little pre-paid trac phone to fire up the EBH remotely so I could TXT message a certian number when I was ready to leave, and in the 15 minutes it takes for me to get to my car, the block is nice and toasty.

Hi All:

___As WriConsult pointed out, a Prius at its peak is still pushing some 150 Wh/mile and that is when driven to beyond 120 mpg’s. This 1,200 Wh system in perfect sun (nobody receives perfect sun) is at best a 3mile free ride for the average driver with 9 hours between stop and start. Topping off the std. pack, powering a block heater or running an aux cooling fan is not a problem but 20 miles is absolute BS.

___Good Luck

___WayneAfter digging through the Marketing to the actual white-paper (http://www.solarelectricalvehicles.com/articles/prius-white-paper.shtml), the 20 mile range they refer to is the 3 kWh Lead Acid battery that they put in (with a PHEV option). So whether you get the solar panels or not, a 3 kWh would bring you up to almost 4300 Wh of power to tap, which might get you 10 miles (20 might risks battery memory, but that's outside my knowlege base).

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Hi Dan:

___The 20 mile range from the sun is how this company is marketing the Solar solution which is wildly inaccurate at best :( A Prius PHEV using Pb-Acid is a huge mistake in the making no matter how they engineer it … I won’t debate the panel efficiency as I am weak in that area but thier assumption of 150 – 175 Wh/mile for the Prius is in the realm of the best hypermiler’s in the world but nowhere near the average driver by any stretch of the imagination. This whole idea is a mess in the making imho.

___Good Luck

___Wayne