Solar Prius
While Detroit scrambles to find enough batteries in Michigan to produce a few Volts for actual sale and prevent their own demise, Toyota is working on a solar Prius. That’s right—Toyota is trying to build a car that runs on sunlight; a fuel which, according to most automotive experts, is not only renewable but free. The first solar vehicles are likely to be hybrid models much like the Prius, but as is the case in all things hybrid, the key is developing new kinds of batteries with storage capacity to keep that solar energy around when the sun has gone away.
If anyone can do it, Toyota can, and with sales of the Prius down slightly due to recent global economic issues, Toyota has renewed motivation to stay ahead of the curve in research and development. A totally solar-powered car is the Holy Grail of environmental chic. If Toyota is able to produce one in the next five years, world domination is a real possibility soon after.
Tags: Prius, solar energy, Toyota