Solar powered cars have been a hot topic for many years. More recently, Toyota car company announced their plans to release their popular hybrid, Prius, with rooftop solar panels in the spring of this year (still in the works). On top of that, Toyota is apparently also planning to put to market a 100% solar powered car. The only problem is…we don’t know when. We do know that it will take years to get to market and will require significant advancements in battery technology, but we also know that it is possible.

This new auto will have solar panels on its roof, similar to the Prius hybrids. Apparently, it will not get all of its power directly from the sun in transit. That is, it will need to be plugged in to solar panels at home (i.e., a rooftop solar electric system mounted on the house) to charge the batteries. So it follows that home solar electric systems will need to be widespread across consumer markets in order for any such car to succeed itself.

That is not to say it’s not an excellent idea. As we increase our supply of renewable energy, this car would get greener and greener, certainly a healthy idea while we actively wait for solar technology to catch up with the rigorous demands of the daily commuter.

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Posted on January 22nd in Solar Products by Dan.