Solar Hybrids Soak Up the Sun

[IDemo]

By Ben Mack - Wired News
December 16, 2008 | 2:14:36 PM

Solar pioneer Greg Johanson set a world record for the fastest speed in a sun-powered car way back in 1986. That car, Sunrunner, has since been retired and its solar array relegated to some California rooftop, but Johanson is still building cars fueled by the sun. Now you can too.

Johanson and the guys at Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and they've developed a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that he says provides up to 20 miles of range and boosts fuel economy up to 29 percent. The company is testing its first solar energy system exclusively for hybrids in four "PV Prius" prototypes and a "PV Highlander."

"Designing solar modules to be hooked up to cars has always been one of Greg Johanson's pet projects," company spokesman Billy Bautista tells us. "He has now finally developed that idea, and SEV hopes to be making sales deliveries by early next year."

Solar_prius_panelSEV is working with Kyocera to develop the solar modules, which are fabricated from fiberglass and sold as kits you install with help from an instructional DVD. A DC-DC converter connects the module directly to the nickel-metal hydride battery in your Prius.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/the-solar-prius.html

[Not Me]

1. I was at Disneyworld and they have these massive trams,

Each of the dozen or so cars is covered with a rigid fibreglass awning. I was thinking: what a perfect opportunity to go solar/electric. These things sit all day in the Florida sun. And they currently run on diesel.

[TheWraith]

3. And they'd provide enough energy to drive the train about 30-40 feet. nt

[47of74]

2. I remember the Knight Rider movie earlier this year...

I remember the Knight Rider movie earlier this year, the new KITT was a hybrid vehicle powered by a combination of gasoline and solar energy absorbed through the vehicle's skin. As a result KITT got something like 160 MPG. Wouldn't that be neat if we could have that in the real world?

[TheWraith]

4. Cute and completely useless.

Run the numbers. A solar roof like this would generate enough electricity to drive about 6-8 miles a day in the height of summer. Maybe a little more if you live in Arizona. At that rate, it would take more than the car's useful life to pay for itself. Even if the cost of the system was only $1,000, it would take at least 22 years to pay back just its own cost, let alone save you any money.

[Javaman]

5. Meh, I had this idea over 30 years ago. people thought I was crazy then. nt

[Nihil]

6. I had a look around the site but couldn't see any price ...

... which makes me think "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it!".
:shrug: