Kyocera Corporation has announced its successful bid to supply solar panels for the new Toyota Prius.
The Kyocera solar panels will power a ventilation system, an optional feature for the hybrid car. The system will drive the fans while the car is parked during the daytime; automatically moderating temperature rise inside of the vehicle even during hot seasons.
Kyocera developed a special solar cell for the application to cope with heat, vibration and shock that may be experienced in normal operation for the vehicle. The Prius rooftop solar array will generate up to 56 watts of power and each solar cell has a conversion efficiency of 16.5%.
The new Prius was unveiled by Toyota early this week. Japan prices for the Prius will start at just over 2 million yen, around AUD$ 27,000 based on current exchange rates, far less than previous models. The company said it already has 80,000 advance orders in Japan for the new model and aims to sell up 400,000 of the cars globally a year.
Toyota says the new Prius will achieve economies of up to 38 kilometres per litre in Japan; a further improvement on previous generations of the hybrid vehicle. Starting with the 2010 model year, the engine will utilise an electric water pump, allowing for an engine design with no serpentine belts, improving efficiency. According to Toyota, a Prius plug-in hybrid powered by lithium-ion batteries (instead of the standard 38-module nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack) will be available for fleet buyers beginning late 2009.
