Next-generation Toyota Prius will feature solar panels
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 07 July 2008
Toyota will add solar panels to the third-generation Prius hybrid - due out in 2009 - as demand for greener cars grows and fuel prices rise further.
The panels would power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the petrol-electric Prius, a source said, but also revealed that the amount of power generated by the solar panels would be so negligible, meaning the addition of the panels would be largely 'symbolic'.
Difficulties in storing electrical energy and the high price of silicon, used to make solar panels, prevent the application of solar energy in cars from becoming a realistic cost-effective proposition.
The new Prius will come equipped with new lithium-ion batteries, which are smaller, have greater ranges and shorter charge times.
Soaring demand for Priuses, especially in the US, has caused Toyota to struggle to supply sufficient models this year.
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