Toyota Testing An Electric Car With A Solar Roof That Can Charge Itself

The problem with electric cars is that they usually take a while to charge. Even fast charging still cannot compare to the speed it takes to refill a car with gas. We imagine that eventually there could be a point in time when we get used to charging times or when charging times drop, but until then, it seems that Toyota is exploring a new electric car concept.

As you can see in the photo above, Toyota is experimenting with a new electric car concept that comes with solar panels built into the roof, bonnet, and boot of the car. What this means is that as the car drives, the solar panels will be capable of drawing power from the sun, which in turn keeps the car’s battery charged.

This means that in theory, these cars could drive forever without ever needing to stop to recharge itself. This is highly useful in a couple of ways, one of which is that it will eliminate the need to charge electric cars completely. Second, it is also a much greener solution because while electric cars are green, they still need to draw energy from the power grid, so by using solar, it solves that problem.

That being said, there is also the efficiency of solar panels to consider. Based on the current prototype, it can convert solar energy at 34% and up which is better than existing commercial solutions at 22.5%. We’re not sure if Toyota will ever put these cars into production, but it does hold a lot of potential.

 

Tyler Lee
Categories: Green, Transportation
Tags: Electric Cars, Solar, toyota