Next-gen Prius now official, uses solar panels to keep car cool

The very shoe-like 2010 Toyota Prius has made its official debut at this week's Detroit Auto Show. The company estimates it'll have a 50 MPG rating -- up from 46 MPG in the previous model -- and there's a bigger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine for improved highway mileage. In addition to Power and Eco driving modes, EV Drive will let you run on battery alone for about a mile, which if nothing else should provide a little extra push for getting to the gas station when you've held off for too long. One of the coolest (literally) new features is the optional solar panels in the moonroof that will generate power for circulating air and keeping the interior temperature from going too high. If that's not enough, there's a remote-controlled A/C system that can run on battery alone and lets you set the temperature before you get in. Check out the read link for more specs and the full press release.

[jimmy @ Jan 13th 2009 11:29AM]

sweet, ford and gm should come out with something like this in 2020 or so...

[matt @ Jan 13th 2009 11:35AM]

If by 2020, you mean that in less than 2 years you'll be able to buy a car that can go more than 1 mile on it's battery from GM, then yes, you are correct.

[therealmusashi @ Jan 13th 2009 9:53PM]

Ever heard of this, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 ) dumbass?

[jimmy @ Jan 14th 2009 5:51PM]

I know about the ev. and yes it was discontinued because they didnt have the brain, just like you dont have the brains to think of new stuff..And yes i know about the Volt which is coming out in NOV of 2010 in two years with a low cost of 40000. The fact remains that your a hardcore yank, which is fine because you know and i know end everyone knows that american cars just plain suck. Yes i read all your comments its all about US..but your know the asians make better cars and tv, electronics....

[Adderz @ Jan 13th 2009 11:28AM]

Such a shame.

It will be years before we see an all electric car. Nobody wants to build the infrastructure...

Seems like this car could of been much more, and i think the solar panels should of been standard.

[kjb434 @ Jan 13th 2009 11:32AM]

The shame is people buying this thinking they are saving the planet.

Toyota sure knows how to market and sell something that doesn't provide much improvement over existing technology.

[b @ Jan 13th 2009 11:33AM]

How could it be more? No one else has better technology in a car that cost $22,000 - $25,000

Until the ability to produce and store electricity gets cheaper and more efficient - this seems to be the best model.

Solar panels could be standard, but they produce very little electricity and of course, increase the price.

[BJ is Gooder @ Jan 13th 2009 11:35AM]

The shame is when somebody types 'should of' instead of 'should have.'

[Adderz @ Jan 13th 2009 11:46AM]

@ BJ is gooder

Oh i know, its such a travesty...i SHOULD OF killed myself when i had the chance, bad grammar is unacceptable.

[Stephen Lang @ Jan 13th 2009 11:47AM]

That's what the Chevy Volt is- an all electric (series hybrid) that additionally leverages existing gasoline distribution channel (i.e. gas stations) to provide additional range when needed.

All this talk about hydrogen highways and such are nonsense. Not only are they completely impractical and unfeasible, but hydrogen fuel is going to rely on oil to supply the energy anyway. It might reduce overall emissions, but does not change the energy source. Plus you're going to have gas station around for a long time to service existing automobiles.

A series hybrid is the only practical solution before improved battery technology enables electric-only cars to be practical in the next 15-20 years. By that point, hopefully most new cars being sold will be series hybrids anyway, which means 90% of driving miles of these cars will already be powered by electricity and not gasoline.

[Precurse @ Jan 13th 2009 11:48AM]

I also wouldn't mind knowing how you expect an all-electric car is going to work up north here in Canada. Our temperatures drop to sub negative 40 (yes, F OR C), where even gas powered cars have issues starting. All electrics would require a highly inefficient heater to warm you, further taking away from the battery life per charge and overall long term. When you have a solution for that, please let me know

[Temple @ Jan 13th 2009 11:56AM]

Toyota also showed off an electric car concept in Detroit. Limited release this year and full release by 2012 along with a plug-in hybrid. So not that far off.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-toyota-unveils-ft-ev-concept-details-plug-in-prius-you/

[Bryan @ Jan 13th 2009 12:02PM]

@ kjb434-

Seriously? Would driving an SUV that gets 15MPG be better for the environment?

2009 EPA estimates:
Prius 46MPG
Civic 29MPG
Trailblazer 2WD 16MPG

This means ONE Prius owner vs Trailblazer owner saves 14 barrels (or 620 gallons) of oil from being shipped from the middle east every year. Or 4.4 barrels (185 gallons) vs the "economical" Honda. There are so many saving for the planet besides that one fact.

I like the look of the current Prius and this one. If it wasn't a sedan or was way out my price range, I'd own one.

[gerrrg @ Jan 13th 2009 12:09PM]

What are you talking about? Cities all along the west coast and Hawaii are signing contracts to get electric charging stations built.

[Izzy @ Jan 13th 2009 12:46PM]

@Precurse

Canadians have to walk or bike.

Actually that brings up a good point if you don't own a garage, eh?

[Jeremy Riga @ Jan 13th 2009 2:02PM]

The Prius is nothing but a nice big marketing scheme. Sounds like a lot of you bought it, too.

You see, Prius batteries are Lead Acid. The Lead is mined in Canada and shipped to China. The batteries are made in China and shipped to Japan. The car is made in Japan and shipped to the USA. The driver in the USA drives the car for 4-7 years before the batteries are shot. The batteries are then discarded and shipped BACK to China for "recycling" or as they say it, "dumping the toxic chemicals in to rivers and lakes". All the while MORE lead is mined in Canada, shipped to China, then to Japan, then to the USA as replacement batteries.

Due to the excess chemistry involved, I saw on 'Ecopolis' that the Toyota Prius has DOUBLE the carbon footprint of a Range Rover over 10 years. D O U B L E. Range Rovers get 11mpg. You do the math.

The Prius is a POS, and equipped with features a nice car comes with it costs $30k. They need to switch to LiPoly battery technology, but they REFUSE. Don't support the Prius.

[Simon @ Jan 13th 2009 2:26PM]

@ Jeremy:
Why are you bothering to spread such ridiculous misinformation when anyone can go to wikipedia and find the truth. The current Prius doesn't use a lead-acid battery for the main drive unit:

"The new Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) uses an all-electric compressor for cooling. Combined with a smaller and lighter NiMH battery, the NHW20 is more powerful and more efficient than the NHW11.[17] Air conditioning is now operated independently of the gasoline engine, an industry first.[18] In the U.S., the battery pack of the 2004 Prius is warranted for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years[19]. The warranty in California is 150,000 miles (240,000 km) or 10 years for the Prius and in the seven Northeastern states that have adopted the stricter California emission control standards."

Get your facts straight.

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 13th 2009 2:38PM]

"Nobody wants to build the infrastructure..."

To the OP and everyone else who doubts the viability of electric cars as a solution, take a look here:

http://www.betterplace.com/

They are building an entire electric-car charging infrastructure in Israel and Hawaii among elsewhere, you pay for the "gas" like you do cellphone minutes, i.e. pay for a certain number of miles, and can get a "full tank" of sorts by driving into an automated facility where the empty battery is swapped out for a full one in less time that it takes to fill a gas car's tank today.

[Insight @ Jan 13th 2009 4:17PM]

@ Jeremy
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/23/suckers-pbs-falls-for-debunked-prius-hummer-story/

[ljm @ Jan 13th 2009 4:33PM]

Where does electricity come from? Where does gas come from? How do they compare on how it is produced? Is electricity really the 'green' solution? Get a clue people. Electric cars are not the green beasts they are made out to be.

[Trenton @ Jan 13th 2009 5:07PM]

@Bryan

"This means ONE Prius owner vs Trailblazer owner saves 14 barrels (or 620 gallons) of oil from being shipped from the middle east every year."

Actually, we now get 16% of our oil from the Persian Gulf (down from 20% in 2002) and less than 50% from OPEC countries. So, this is more like 3 barrels on a boat.

Source: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_a.htm

[bboston7 @ Jan 13th 2009 9:22PM]

@ljm

Nuclear Power is green, it doesn't give off any green house gasses. In fact, scientists in Germany have found a way to use the nuclear waste produced to make more electricity! WOW

Wind power is green

Solar power is green

Even burning coal to make electricity for a whole town is better that burning gasoline in EVERY CAR.

[therealmusashi @ Jan 13th 2009 9:59PM]

@ Adderz

Ever heard of the Tesla Roadster? Or the Fisker Karma? Or the Chevy Volt? Or the ChryslerEV? Or even, from GM, in 1996 - The GM EV1? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 )

These are all electric vehicles, made by American manufacturers.

Seriously...why bother commenting?

[Josh Ladella @ Jan 14th 2009 12:44PM]

@ Bryan

Taken from Top Gear:

"To make this as economical as possible, they [Toyota] go to the ends of the earth, quite literally. The nickel that they use to make the batteries to power the electric motor, that comes from a mine in Canada. Now, nickel mining is a filthy business, a lot of sulfur and acid rain, but no matter, they load it on an enormous cargo ship, send it to Europe, where its refined, and on to China, where its turned into a sort of foam, THEN to japan, where its put in the batteries into the car. Its so complicated in fact to make a Prius that a recent study found that in the long term, there's more environmental damage than a Land Rover Discovery.

I'm sorry, what did you have to say about the Prius saving the planet?

[Loonie @ Mar 9th 2009 6:57PM]

ljm, to answer your question, electricity can come from ways too numerous to even count. Petrol, on the other hand, comes from one source.

[RyanTV @ Jan 13th 2009 11:29AM]

Forget all electric. We need Hydrogen infrastructure. Charging batteries takes too long.

Too bad Toyota left the Prius just as ugly as it was before.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 13th 2009 11:32AM]

Yeah, and all the hydrogen for this infrastructure is going to come from candy canes and gumdrops.

[kjb434 @ Jan 13th 2009 11:34AM]

The reality is that the oil companies will be the same people that provide hydrogen.

The cheapest way to mass produce hydrogen is through extracting it out of oil or other carbon based fuels.

Water is extremely expensive and energy wasting to extract hydrogen.

So the infrastructure will be built by the oil companies.

[yo @ Jan 13th 2009 11:37AM]

The whole hydrogen thing is misinformation that the big car manufacturers used to hold back the electric car. The hydrogen infrastructure costs more than electric and is the fuel is bulkier. Give the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" a watch. Easily available on torrent.

[Chris @ Jan 13th 2009 11:45AM]

Isn't the storage/transportation of Hydrogen god-awfully expensive? I remember that being the biggest barrier in building the infrastructure.

[Jomolungma @ Jan 13th 2009 12:01PM]

@ yo - also easily available on Amazon, if you are into paying for stuff and all. Piracy is so last year.

[absinthe party @ Jan 13th 2009 1:25PM]

@ Jomolungma

Depending on where you live, now you get to pay awesome internet taxes for purchasing anything online. Taxes are the new piracy.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/156989/online_taxes.html?tk=rss_news

[Dan Fruzzetti @ Jan 13th 2009 1:30PM]

proton polymer batteries are the first battery technology that can charge faster than it discharges.

http://priuschat.com/forums/members/danny-albums-2010-toyota-prius-official-toyota-photos-picture947-45-10-prius.html

The new Prius will have a no-screen option (I guess to make it cheap).

Hard to believe people don't recognize that all-electric could have been here 20 years ago; the technology is already more than adequate and people don't recognize that we could all get by with a car that could only go 80 miles on a charge. True, I could never drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe in it; but 363 days out of the year I'm not driving to Tahoe anyway and those 80 miles will be enough.

[pball_inuyaha @ Jan 13th 2009 11:31AM]

The solar panel cooling option is cool. I've been wondering why cars (that i know of) don't have a small vent and fan to keep the temp down in the summer.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 13th 2009 11:33AM]

Before, you ran the risk of killing the car's battery with the constant power drain of a fan. Now that it can recharge, it makes a little more sense.

[infinitespecter @ Jan 13th 2009 11:37AM]

The solar panel thing isn't new. My friend's Audi had this way back in the 90s. You had the option of having a glass moonroof or solar panels there that would power the onboard fans. In practice, it didn't really do much to keep the car cool on 100+ days. My current BMW 335i can do this too, only without the solar power.

[kjb434 @ Jan 13th 2009 11:35AM]

Tons of cars have this already w/out solar panels. Many European cars offer this. My 2001 Volvo S60 had this standard. My 2008 XC90 has it also. It's not even an option. It's standard. And it doesn't drain the battery much.

[John P @ Jan 13th 2009 11:46AM]

Sorry Engadget, but Toyota is late to the solar moonroof game. My 1997 Audi A8 came with this feature. It is very cool, but I would say it isn't as mind-blowing as one would think. At least, that is the case in Houston, but perhaps it doesn't count when the outside humidity is beyond 100%.

[Temple @ Jan 13th 2009 11:59AM]

Audi's solar panel didn't store energy and it was only used to power a ventilator, it was more a solar panel like you saw on those pocket calculators, the game is very different with a hybrid that has energy to store power in the battery while its parked. The solar panel is also dramatically larger and is used to power the A/C unit that can drain power and efficiency from the engine.

[pball_inuyaha @ Jan 13th 2009 12:10PM]

thanks guys for all the comments. never knew so many cars had that kind of thing. now only if it'd be on all cars so the common poor folk could have a cooler car in the summer

[Andy @ Jan 13th 2009 5:17PM]

I had it on my 92 Mazda 929. It makes about a 10-20 degree difference in the summer heat in the south, but its no AC. The leather still got nice and hot. But at least I could touch the steering wheel, knobs, metal seat belt hook... The fans, coupled with one of those solar shades for the windshield was a great combo. I want it in more cars, all cars.

[Alexandre Emond @ Jan 13th 2009 11:32AM]

Unfortunetly it's still more ecological (and half price) to buy a Corola or a Civic if you take the astronomical energy cost of building this car.

[kjb434 @ Jan 13th 2009 11:37AM]

And the toxic mining of the battery materials that cause extremely toxic storm water runoff.

Prius, making three eyed fish a reality!

[RobJ @ Jan 13th 2009 12:22PM]

I agree, entirely. While I love the idea of the Prius, and Hybrids in general, a Civic or a Corolla (or better yet, a Fit or a Yaris) makes much more economic and ecological sense right now. The Prius is a green car for people who have a lot of money to throw around.

[Eh @ Jan 13th 2009 12:22PM]

Nobody will care about how "eco friendly" it is or isnt when gas is $5 a gallon in the next year or 2. 50mpg will save people a ridiculous amount of money compared to all the pathetic cars that only get 20 something.

[Live in 3D @ Jan 13th 2009 12:25PM]

Why do people still believe this? The dust to dust report that everyone seems to be using to make this claim has been dis-proven several times over. Not to mention the article that everyone bases the extreme environmental damage that the batteries supposedly cause, you know the one about the Sudbury Superstack, had to be retracted because the damage it attributed to the Prius actually occurred over 40 years ago. Also that plant is the worlds largest supplier of nickel, and Toyota only purchases a fraction of its nickel output for all its models, not just the Prius. Bottom line is that the extra nickel in the batteries is no where near as damaging as people seem to believe

Look, I'm certainly not foolish enough to think this car is somehow saving the world, or is really even that environmentally friendly, but I also don't understand why people have such a problem with it. Toyota set out to make a vehicle that increased MPG and lowered emissions and that's what they achieved. At the very least you can look at it as subsidizing the cost of this technology for you later down the road.

[THizzle7XU @ Jan 13th 2009 1:09PM]

@Eh

You're a fool to think that gas will permanently be back to $5 a gallon for good in that little time. The reason gas is under $2 and lower a gallon right now is because the prospectors got way too greedy and caused it to rise to $4 a gallon. People stopped buying as a result and the whole thing collapsed on itself. That's why gas isn't $4 now. If it really NEEDED to be $4 due to its actually production costs, it still would be regardless of people not buying. But that $4 price was artificially high, not due to some shortage as the media/environmentalists would have you believe. Maybe if the prospectors get greedy again and it does hit $5 (for about a week until people get wise again), it will collapse under a $1 next time.

[baipai @ Jan 13th 2009 11:36AM]

I want one. Toyota should put a V8 engine in that prius make it go kaazoom.

[Spencer @ Jan 13th 2009 11:35AM]

Aptera came out with the solar roof idea first. The Aptera-2e uses solar panels on the roof to heat and cool the car when needed.

http://www.aptera.com/index.php

[Hernan Paredes @ Jan 13th 2009 11:58AM]

i dunt care wut anybody says, this car looks nice to me and the tech inside of it, the mpg... very nice. i'd buy this when it comes out.