Related Sections: Green Tech Vehicles
Got hybrid? Add solar panels, get 20 extra miles per day
Scooters with solar panels look silly because scooters don't have enough surface area to hold solar panels. Hmm… what vehicle does have plenty of surface area? How about cars? Shouldn't they get solar panels first?
It turns out solar panels that increase the battery life of hybrid cars have been manufactured under the radar by Solar Electrical Vehicles since 2005. The company's roof system retails for about $2,000, can be self-installed, and supposedly pays off in saved gas money in 2 to 3 years. If you're spending the premium for a hybrid anyway, the added reserve (20 miles a day) and street cred that you'd get from these panels makes the purchase a no-brainer. We can only hope that solar roof panels will become standard on all cars in the next few years.
Solar Electrical Vehicles, via Treehugger
By aarlin81 at 5:24 PM ON 06/01/07
Good idea. I think I'll hold out until car manufacturers incorporate this idea into their automobiles. Who wants a huge honking (no pun intended) panel on the roof of their sedan or coupe? Smaller panels or film (/archives/2007/02/20/thin_film_solar.html) integrated into the design would be more appealing.
By mezkie at 9:50 PM ON 08/22/07
that's a great concept..zero emission hybrid cars are likely to be in demand today especially for the upcoming years..i just h0pe subaru automakers had their hybrids too..i owned the oldr '96 baja and had done much replacements like with subaru brake dust shields, the fender, etc.but i was kinda willing to have hybrid one!
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mezkie:
that's a great concept..zero emission hybrid cars are likely to be in demand today especially for the upcoming year...More »