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Toyota plans solar-powered car

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Published Date: 02 January 2009
TOYOTA is developing a vehicle that can be powered solely by solar energy, the Nikkei newspaper reported yesterday.
The vehicle will be equipped with solar cells and batteries that can be recharged with electricity from solar panels on the roofs of homes.


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  • Last Updated: 01 January 2009 11:03 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Rob Bennett,

Point Piper Australia 02/01/2009 00:40:46
Now we're talkin'. I can't imagine these vehicles will be inexpensive to purchase for a few years especially for the average joe. However it's a step in the right direction.
2

Douglas,

Bathgate 02/01/2009 01:01:57
It might be useful were you are Rob but us blue people are still developing the car that'll run on drizzle and wind. :o)
Happy new year!
3

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 01:12:12
Solar is less than 1% of the world's energy but it looks like things will change quickly.

I doubt though the solar-powered system alone could make the car suitable for varying weather conditions. Needing a gas back-up system defeats the purpose. Being caught in a blizzard for example, while driving a solar car- not a good thing.

Scientists I know are pretty excited with Shai Agassi's (The SAP software guy) - he's got a concept of battery stations and plug-ins, where the user pays for the energy he uses but perhaps not the vehicle; Renault made the prototype car which goes to 60 in 8 seconds. Agassi's plan looks like it's going to happen in months, not years. Considering the mounds of investment going into his product it looks like he may succeed where others fail.

Stirling engines have been around for a century.
Electric batteries cars are doable and practical now; and even more exciting for the future based on the assumption that the power for the battery charger comes from a large 'city-scale' power platform like Ausra, or the LPT (LuzI) from Bright Source that puts out a volume of affordable energy, (not just for one car or one building.)
Abengoa has a tower in they say it can complete by 2013. Ausra says 20 years for their platform, but I think MIT will cut that down to under 10.
4

Carolyn 1,

Woods Hole, USA 02/01/2009 02:09:48
I guess I forgot to say, that any new battery-powered car is useless if "The vehicle will be equipped with solar cells and batteries that can be recharged with electricity from solar panels on the roofs of homes"
because
1.) people can't afford solar panels on their homes and
2) if they could afford solar panels on their roof, they're wealthy enough to not need them.

The only way battery cars can become mainstream is when the energy is supplied from a centralized power source (solar, thermal, wind or a combo) platform like the LUZ towers, and not some expensive ugly contraption in your back yard or on your roof, and the power plug-ins are available on the street like the parking meters we feed money everywhere.
5

Guga II,

Rockall 02/01/2009 03:11:09
If I had to rely on solar power, I'd only be able to drive about a mile a week, if I was lucky.

What I need is a car with a wind turbine on the roof.
6

2dogs in D.C.,

02/01/2009 03:32:06
Or a very long cord. Anyway, I see green tech. as producing jobs,and that's a good thing.
7

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 11:11:53
Guga @5
What I need is a car with a wind turbine on the roof."

isn't that a helicopter?
Or would that be a helicarpter :)
helicar?

But yea, I agree Guga, living where I do, the wind sure would get me where I need to go, and damn fast, thank you very much
8

POSTMARK,-55,

China, 02/01/2009 11:29:06
#3 Carolyn 1,
Sounds as if you have shares or stocks in above mentioned, you're pushing your ideas a little too much, since I highly doubt that you've ever opened the hood(bonnet) of any car.

#5 Guga II,
As long as you stay within a 20 mile radius of Carolyn there will be plenty of wind for you to break any land speed record, guaranteed;-)))

#6 2dogs in D.C.,
I tried that driving with the cord bit after forgetting to unplug the block heater in Canada on a few occasions, it's amazing how far you can drag a cord on icy roads without even so much as removing the dirt, they always stood up real well, didn't provide much power though:-)
9

Masterpiece,

02/01/2009 11:34:00
At long last car companies are moving in the right direction.
Is anyone able to say what happened to the cheap device invented in the 1950's that enabled cars to run for 200 miles on each gallon of petrol/gasolene.
10

Rob Bennett,

Point Piper Australia 02/01/2009 11:55:24
#8 Postmark
"I highly doubt that you've ever opened the hood"
I'm sure she's taken the hood off her head from time to time.
11

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 12:02:24
@8
Incorrect, if I didn't know how to open the bonnet of my car I wouldn't have gotten my MGB out of the garage half the time.
As an environmental designer I am very aware of all current green tech as it relates to energy, housing, urbanization, pollution, etc. As I said previously I recently worked with a senator here passing the first bill of its kind in the country that regulates our harbors, (wind farms, etc...)

As for cars, I'm having lunch next week with a physicist to discuss improvements on the battery... got any suggestions or you just waving your noisemaker in circles?
12

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 12:11:04
@8
As for investing in Agassi, it looks good, real good. A professor and I from BU are going to be working on an in depth analysis of that project next month, looking at the pros and cons and the probability factors of solar platforms.
Google filed a patent on an ocean platform months ago, so Agassi is not alone in the race.
I'm a Bucky Fuller junky so the concept of centralized energy platforms looks real sweet to me no matter who wants to pursue it, but Agassi is on target, maybe a bulls eye
13

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 12:12:25
@10
Every day in fact.
I do try to think 'out of the box'
14

POSTMARK,-55,

China, 02/01/2009 13:41:07
#11 Carolyn 1,
If you're indeed as good as you say you are then why don't you just build an alternator/generator that keeps recharging the batteries the same as on internal combustion engines, no need to plug in then is there? And what is wrong with hydrogen, makes too much sense?
And what about Brown's gas, already given up on that?
There are many alternatives Carolyn.
15

Carolyn 1,

02/01/2009 14:45:23
Considering that he was the scientist who worked on Teflon from the rails of street cars, to putting it on cooking pans, for example, I have no idea what the genius has on his mind except to say I really like him, and he's still sharp as a tack
16

,

14/01/2009 15:17:21
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