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Panasonic Believes More Electric Vehicles Will Benefit From Solar Panel Roof
Panasonic wants solar panels on more electric vehicles roofs.
Japanese tech giant, Panasonic thinks more electric vehicles (EV) could benefit from implementing solar panels on their roofs.
Panasonic already provides the solar panel roof for the Toyota Prius Prime, which is the first automotive solar application that charges the vehicle's battery pack.
Toyota claims that solar energy through the panel is only good for an additional 3 to 6km of driving range per charge; however, that can work out to 10 percent of your total driving range over an annual period.
"Car roofs have the potential to become a new market for solar panels," Panasonic's Shingo Okamoto told Bloomberg. "We made history in the auto industry and in the solar industry with the sun powering mass-produced cars for the first time in the world."
Nissan offers the same technology as an option on its Leaf EV, but it's not powerful enough to charge the battery. Rather, the solar panel powers in-car electronics such as the climate control and infotainment system.
The Prius Prime's photovoltaic roof, on the other hand, can charge the battery itself - a discovery both Toyota and Panasonic are expecting will lead to the more extensive use of the tech going forward.
Currently, solar panels on the roof might provide minimal support; however, it may one day provide a better impact when technology improves. Additionally, automakers could develop vehicle's body to wear solar panels, allowing them to maximise the number of cells for a bigger effect.
"We are aware that the panels are supplying only a small amount of electricity," Prius engineer Shoichi Kaneko said. "But this system is still a breakthrough as we are making use of the energy we would be wasting otherwise."
DriveSpark Thinks!
Solar energy is much cleaner and environmentally friendly source of energy. Harnessing the cleaner energy will only help make our world more habitable. With Panasonic encouraging more electric vehicles to wear solar panel roofs, there is hope that the world can be much cleaner.
