Toyota Prius Solar Is The Game Changer Now
Toyota Prius is for sure the leader in hybrid technology. In fact, most people do not know that if it were not for Prius, we would not have many of the hybrids we see today.
Most car manufacturers, such as Ford, Hyundai, and others have studied Toyota Prius for a long time and utilized the Toyota Hybrid System in building their own cars.
In my other article where I talk about how Toyota is upsetting the market with solar, I touch on some very specific things that really show the creativity of the brand itself and how I feel they will always be the leaders when it comes to hybrid and fuel cell technology.
In this article I want to highlight the main thing I think Toyota will make happen from utilizing the solar cells on the Prius, and how that is going to effect vehicles like the Prius Prime.
Panasonic solar roof for cars
Going solar with Toyota Prius Prime
Solar, it seems as if we could only harness it more we could solve the energy crisis we are all in. Toyota knows that using any and all forms of energy we can, will greatly help the cause of the Prius. This is why regen braking is so great, it gave us the ability to capture lost energy.
Toyota has also changed the way that they have been recapturing that energy through the converter/inverter as well. The Silicon Carbide Transistors that they have been using also allow for less energy loss during regen braking.
These things make Prius the car that it is today, and with the addition of the Prime to the Prius lineup things have only become better. Prime is the plug-in version that takes efficiency to another level, and now with what Toyota is doing with Prime will only make it better.
Toyota has taken a Prius Prime and literally covered the car in high quality Sharp Solar cells. This is not there to boost the car when driving or anything but it is there to allow the car to capture more energy while it is sitting. This is super cool for a couple reasons.
Going on a vacation and need to leave your car at the airport? No worries it will charge and maintain itself while you are away, so no need to worry about a dead battery when you get back.
Second, if you are a commuter, and your car sits in a parking lot all day you will be getting free charge on your car while you work, so that is pretty neat too.
The solar cells are supposed to bring 840w of power now by using these Sharp cells over the previous version they had which only brought in about 180w of power. This means that we can gather more energy and charge faster for free when we are using the Prius.
Conclusion
Toyota is moving forward in really cool ways, they want people to go places and be feelin good while they are doing whatever they want. I think solar is a cool thing to try and see if we can make it work. Who knows maybe the Nissan Leaf can take a few lessons and finally be a car worth having.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading about new Prius Technology. Check out my other story 3 Top Tire Brands You Should Consider For Your Toyota Prius to find even more ways to make that fuel sipper go the extra mile.
See you in the next story where I am discussing why the Toyota Prius AWD-e is the best one yet.
Also Watch New tech means more MPG from your Toyota Prius and Click to Subscribe to Torque News Youtube Channel for Daily Toyota Prius and Automotive News.
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He is an automotive technology instructor at Columbia Basin College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and at Certified Consulting
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