July 15, 2008
Toyota to Install Solar Panels on Prius Hybrids
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for green cars amid record-high oil prices. The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp, would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, according to Reuters.
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year. It is unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars will cost or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.