Solar panels have come to the automotive world to stay and not only to give life to solar cars like the Lightyear 0 or the Aptera Gamma. At Toyota they believe that solar panels are a great ally for plug-in hybridswhich is why the new Toyota Prius redoubles its commitment to photovoltaic cells, allowing us to being able to drive in electric mode without spending a single euro.
After 25 years of evolution and 4 previous generations, the fifth generation Toyota Prius is presented with the aim of revolutionizing the market again. The Japanese manufacturer has reimagined its quintessential hybrid, giving life to a compact-sized car with a sharp design and endowed with the latest generation of hybrid motors of the brandthose same engines that we will also see in the new C-HR advanced with the Toyota C-HR Prologue prototype.
For the first time, the Toyota Prius can only be bought in a 223 hp plug-in hybrid version, a movement with which Toyota wants to ensure that the bulk of our journeys in the city are carried out in electric mode. For this purpose, a 13.6 kWh capacity batterya battery that will allow us to achieve up to 69 km of 100% electric autonomy. But how will this battery be recharged?
Here’s the key. The new plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius can be recharged mainly through an external connector, either by connecting the car to a conventional socket or to a more powerful and efficient Wallbox. But also, Toyota has decided to install solar panels on the roofstate-of-the-art photovoltaic cells capable of generating enough energy per day to restore 8.7 km of electrical autonomy. You can see this ceiling in full detail in this video we posted on instagram.
This technology is not the first time that we have seen it installed in a Toyota car or other brands, but except in the case of the very fashionable solar cars, This type of roof with solar cells has always been limited to supplying auxiliary equipment such as the air conditioning or the multimedia system.. Now Toyota has wanted to go further, installing a more capable system, a system capable of recharging the batteries of the hybrid system while the car is exposed to the sun, both stationary and moving. It is fair to point out that This solar roof will require many hours of sun in a day to “give us” those almost 9 km of extra autonomybut any extra energy at zero cost will always be welcome, right?