So... Toyota is diverting an incredibly useful and essentially free source of energy to powering something so extraneous as the air-conditioning? I'd roll my windows down if it meant the sun was even partially powering my commute, and I live in Phoenix, where the daytime temperature can easily exceed 120 degrees. By the time you buy your "high-end" Prius for $35K to $40K, you may as well buy a $20K car with A/C and spend $20K on gasoline until the car falls apart.
I commend Toyota for taking a step in the right direction, but a solar panel shouldn't be designed into a car until it's intended to be used as an automotive power source.
So just because it can't be used to power the car it shouldn't be used at all? That's ridiculous. Every little bit helps; and the AC is a perfect target since you always need it in conditions where solar panel output is at its peak. Even if you don't save all that much, at least you won't think twice about running the AC feeling bad that you're burning non-renewable resources to power it. Oh, and driving in 120 degree heat without running the AC? Not smart.
Depending on the situation, you might actually be using more gas with your windows open as opposed to using the AC. This is because of the extra drag that the open windows cause. It depends on what speeds you're going at and whatnot.
@Lord John: That's exactly what I'm saying - why wouldn't Toyota enable this solar panel to even partially power the vehicle? Anything less is a waste of money - solar panels aren't cheap; tacking on a few thousand dollars to the price of the vehicle simply because you want guilt-free air-conditioning is ridiculous if you ask me. Driving in 120 degree heat isn't smart, PERIOD, but while you're judging me for something I have no control over, I'd think that such an environmentally conscious person like you would be opposed to air-conditioning given how damaging modern refrigerant is to the ozone layer. Air conditioning units fail frequently in this heat and require an expensive recharging every year or so to replace the coolant.
@bertbusdriver: That's true, but I'm not blasting down the highway at 85 with the windows down. On surface streets at a reasonable speed limit, impact on fuel economy is negligible. See Mythbusters for more info.
@BigD145: That makes plenty of sense - spend several thousand dollars moving to a climate where I'm less likely to need a Prius with a solar-powered AC. I'll get right on that.
@jmkovey: I don't run without the AC to conserve gasoline. I do so to reduce strain on my engine in an extremely hot environment. I'd rather sweat in my car than break down on sweltering pavement because my engine overheated.
@jordan: It's actually crappy right now - we just started our monsoon season, which means hot temperature + moderate humidity. It's not 100%, but we get miserable heat as well as moisture. At least we get thunderstorms at night to cool off.
The Prius is $21-30k. A solar panel won't add tens of thousands of dollars, and if anything Toyota has enough money that resources won't be diverted. The problem of course is that AC/radio/etc etc take up an incredible amount of battery power, if that same battery power that isn't being used to run the compressor on the AC can instead be used to power the electric motors then the car will be more efficient.
If however you aren't using the AC or radio or any other feature most people use, then the energy collected from the solar panels will instead be used to power the hybrid motor. The benefit is that solar power can be collected even when the car is off and is parked in a parking lot.
Please turn on your A/C! You're baking your brain, and the heat is making you crazy. The solar panel Prius makes perfect sense in Phoenix where only the nutbag desert rats drive around without A/C in the summer.
Sure every little bit helps, but are you willing to pay the $1000+ that option is going to cost just for some peace of mind that your A/C is running on solar? And remember that, as much as we wished it was, the sun is not always shining.
I live in sunny southern california. It gets quite hot and because of the sun, the interior of the car is always like an oven when I get back to it. We could now have the AC keep the car cool while in the sun and because sunshine is free, it would work by only using the solar panels, it wouldn't drain the main batteries nor would it take any gas. It seems like a small thing, coming back to a cool car but, it would something that would improve the car experience on a daily basis here in sunny climates. I'm sure it would work in cold weather as even cloudy and overcast days can still have enough light to power solar cells.
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So... Toyota is diverting an incredibly useful and essentially free source of energy to powering something so extraneous as the air-conditioning? I'd roll my windows down if it meant the sun was even partially powering my commute, and I live in Phoenix, where the daytime temperature can easily exceed 120 degrees. By the time you buy your "high-end" Prius for $35K to $40K, you may as well buy a $20K car with A/C and spend $20K on gasoline until the car falls apart.
I commend Toyota for taking a step in the right direction, but a solar panel shouldn't be designed into a car until it's intended to be used as an automotive power source.
So just because it can't be used to power the car it shouldn't be used at all? That's ridiculous. Every little bit helps; and the AC is a perfect target since you always need it in conditions where solar panel output is at its peak. Even if you don't save all that much, at least you won't think twice about running the AC feeling bad that you're burning non-renewable resources to power it.
Oh, and driving in 120 degree heat without running the AC? Not smart.
Depending on the situation, you might actually be using more gas with your windows open as opposed to using the AC. This is because of the extra drag that the open windows cause. It depends on what speeds you're going at and whatnot.
Stop living in Arizona and you won't need the AC.
According to an Edmunds.com test, driving with your windows down has no measurable difference over the AC.
Report at:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html
@Lord John: That's exactly what I'm saying - why wouldn't Toyota enable this solar panel to even partially power the vehicle? Anything less is a waste of money - solar panels aren't cheap; tacking on a few thousand dollars to the price of the vehicle simply because you want guilt-free air-conditioning is ridiculous if you ask me. Driving in 120 degree heat isn't smart, PERIOD, but while you're judging me for something I have no control over, I'd think that such an environmentally conscious person like you would be opposed to air-conditioning given how damaging modern refrigerant is to the ozone layer. Air conditioning units fail frequently in this heat and require an expensive recharging every year or so to replace the coolant.
@bertbusdriver: That's true, but I'm not blasting down the highway at 85 with the windows down. On surface streets at a reasonable speed limit, impact on fuel economy is negligible. See Mythbusters for more info.
@BigD145: That makes plenty of sense - spend several thousand dollars moving to a climate where I'm less likely to need a Prius with a solar-powered AC. I'll get right on that.
I'd take your 120 degree low-humidity over my 100 degree high-humidity NC climate any day. :/
@jmkovey: I don't run without the AC to conserve gasoline. I do so to reduce strain on my engine in an extremely hot environment. I'd rather sweat in my car than break down on sweltering pavement because my engine overheated.
@jordan: It's actually crappy right now - we just started our monsoon season, which means hot temperature + moderate humidity. It's not 100%, but we get miserable heat as well as moisture. At least we get thunderstorms at night to cool off.
The Prius is $21-30k. A solar panel won't add tens of thousands of dollars, and if anything Toyota has enough money that resources won't be diverted. The problem of course is that AC/radio/etc etc take up an incredible amount of battery power, if that same battery power that isn't being used to run the compressor on the AC can instead be used to power the electric motors then the car will be more efficient.
If however you aren't using the AC or radio or any other feature most people use, then the energy collected from the solar panels will instead be used to power the hybrid motor. The benefit is that solar power can be collected even when the car is off and is parked in a parking lot.
Please turn on your A/C! You're baking your brain, and the heat is making you crazy. The solar panel Prius makes perfect sense in Phoenix where only the nutbag desert rats drive around without A/C in the summer.
@ John Whorfin
Sure every little bit helps, but are you willing to pay the $1000+ that option is going to cost just for some peace of mind that your A/C is running on solar?
And remember that, as much as we wished it was, the sun is not always shining.
I live in sunny southern california. It gets quite hot and because of the sun, the interior of the car is always like an oven when I get back to it. We could now have the AC keep the car cool while in the sun and because sunshine is free, it would work by only using the solar panels, it wouldn't drain the main batteries nor would it take any gas. It seems like a small thing, coming back to a cool car but, it would something that would improve the car experience on a daily basis here in sunny climates. I'm sure it would work in cold weather as even cloudy and overcast days can still have enough light to power solar cells.