By Ucilia Wang
Kyocera (KYO) has won a deal to supply Toyota (TM) with solar panels for the new Prius.
The solar modules would be an option for the new Prius unveiled by Toyota on Monday. The equipment, mounted on the rooftop, would power the fans that would run while the car is parked in order to keep the interior cool on hot days, Kyocera said.
Kyocera said it's setting up a production line in Japan for this deal with Toyota. The multicrystalline solar cells inside each panel can convert 16.5 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity, the company said.
Last year, Toyota discussed using solar power to run some of the on-board electronics for Prius, and reportedly said it would equip solar panels on its popular hybrid in 2009.
Other carmakers also have done something similar, including startup gasoline-electric hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive in Irvine, Calif. Running entirely on solar isn't feasible for commercial cars – it'd be super expensive and would require a whole lot of solar panels. A 2006 research said a Prius powered by solar alone could go a whopping 5 to 8 miles.
But there have been cool science-project cars powered by solar alone. The Solar World Challenge in Australia has seen plenty of especially built solar powered cars. Here is the one that won Honda the first place in 1996 and featured solar cells from SunPower.
Kyocera (KYO) has won a deal to supply Toyota (TM) with solar panels for the new Prius.
The solar modules would be an option for the new Prius unveiled by Toyota on Monday. The equipment, mounted on the rooftop, would power the fans that would run while the car is parked in order to keep the interior cool on hot days, Kyocera said.
Kyocera said it's setting up a production line in Japan for this deal with Toyota. The multicrystalline solar cells inside each panel can convert 16.5 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity, the company said.
Last year, Toyota discussed using solar power to run some of the on-board electronics for Prius, and reportedly said it would equip solar panels on its popular hybrid in 2009.
Other carmakers also have done something similar, including startup gasoline-electric hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive in Irvine, Calif. Running entirely on solar isn't feasible for commercial cars – it'd be super expensive and would require a whole lot of solar panels. A 2006 research said a Prius powered by solar alone could go a whopping 5 to 8 miles.
But there have been cool science-project cars powered by solar alone. The Solar World Challenge in Australia has seen plenty of especially built solar powered cars. Here is the one that won Honda the first place in 1996 and featured solar cells from SunPower.
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