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Solar Panels to Power Prius Air Conditioning

Toyota hopes new option helps it maintain its green image

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 7, 2008

The solar panels will be available on the most expensive models of the Prius and will supply a portion of the electrical power required to run the air conditioning system in the hybrid.

The symbolic gesture is part of Toyota's effort to maintain a green image as the leading producer of hybrids.

The price of the solar panel option is not yet available. Solar panels are made of silicon and are expensive.

Mazda offered a solar panel option in the early 1990s to ventilate cars while parked on hot summer days. The option was discontinued after a few years because of lack of interest.

Sales of the Toyota Prius declined in June, in part because the automaker was unable to keep up with soaring demand for the hybrid. The waiting list for a new Prius now extends several months in many areas of the country.

With the average gasoline price in the U.S. at $4.107 after 8 consecutive days of record highs, demand for the Prius is certain to continue to increase.

The Prius first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and arrived in the U.S. in 2000. Sales of the Prius have topped 1 million units worldwide.

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