Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech
Why don't people put solar panels on the roofs of their cars to capture free elcetric? That would seem to be a great thing in an electric or hybrid car, yet no one hardly does it. The only thing i can think of is the low amount of power available from solar panels.
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Because with the efficiency of currently available panels and the amount of space available on a car rooftop, a whole day's sunlight will only provide a few miles (single digits) worth of electricity. That's why Toyota decided to use their rooftop solar panel to power a cabin ventilator instead of recharging the traction pack (IIRC, they calculated they would only get 2 additional miles) on the 3rd gen Prius. The panels are also very expensive (way more costly than other ways to get electricity). If the efficiency comes up and/or the price comes down, this may be a viable alternative in the future.