'Natural male enhancement' founder gets enhanced prison sentence
Mobile Telesystems (MBT) soars on $452M buyback plan
Could Sprint dump Nextel to join with T-Mobile?
Ford (F) desperately needs more dealers to consolidate
Analyst calls: BT, JAS, EGN, CHL, KO, GILD, DWA ...
Oil broke $120 again as Gustav eyes the Gulf of Mexico
Toyota (TM) takes its 2009 forecasts down
Is TiVo a buy after its Q2 report?
Starbucks (SBUX) management: No raises next year
Before the bell: Stocks flat; TIF, FNM, TIVO, AAPL, GILD, JAS ...
Has housing bottomed? Mortgage data lifts Toll Brothers (TOL), others
Google unveils Ad Manager system for use by anyone
Wal-Mart has high hopes for Marketside format
Mattel to get up to $100 million in Bratz case
Alabama county mulls bankruptcy; could be largest failure in history
Toyota Motor Co.'s (NYSE: TM) Prius hybrid is by far the world's most successful hybrid vehicles, with sales numbering over one million units. In addition to the great gas mileage these gas/electric vehicles provide, could these cars become even more efficient? According to Toyota, that's already in the works.The Japanese automaker was featured in Japan's Nikkei newspaper yesterday as saying it will begin installing rooftop solar panels on its next-generation Prius vehicles. Starting with the high-end model, these solar panels will be used to power the air conditioning systems of the car. According to the Nikkei report, these solar panel arrangements may start showing up as next spring.
If Toyota can pull this off, it will mark yet another milestone in automotive history: including solar panel technology in a mass-produced car. It could also set off a trend to power automotive subsystems directly from solar power instead of internally generated power from the gas engine/alternator system or the onboard electric motor. Solar power is abundant and free -- why not use it as much as possible?
Now, where are the other automakers with this? General Motors (NYSE: GM)? Ford Motor (NYSE: F)? A show of hands, please.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. Maybe not an auto manufacturer but there are other companies involved in huge energy ,fuel efficient vehicles. One is Enova ,who produces a product with up to 60-70% fuel savings in school buses and trucks.This is the type of company that will lead the future with teck and emmisions.They have MY show of hand!!!
Posted at 2:10PM on Jul 8th 2008 by larry
2. Honda's hydrogen fuel cell car and now Toyota's solar panel. Where is Detroit? Shouldn't they be the innovators? Japan has historically been a green energy country and they are serious about it.
Posted at 7:15PM on Jul 8th 2008 by Kent
3. Nice idea but why not use solar panels where they do the most, like on structures?
BTW, GM fuel cell vehicles are already on the road. Have been for months.
Posted at 7:46PM on Jul 8th 2008 by A D
4. Imagine driving to work, leaving your car outside in the sun all day, coming out to drive home, and you find you have received a free top-up to your battery.
Solar panel efficiency is improving all the time. There is much that can be done.
Many small boats have a wind turbine on the mast to keep their batteries charged. A car could have its side panels wired to flex with in the wind and charge the batteries also.....watch this space.
Posted at 7:42PM on Aug 5th 2008 by Mark Twomey