Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Only time will tell whether the solar roof can ultimately justify itself on those terms.
Are you implying the Toyota engineers maybe didn't make the proper calculations, or that maybe the Toyota marketing department was pushing for this feature only because they wanted a sellable gimmick?
Absolutely not. One of the unfortunate things you can very easily see with the present car is how the AC will drain the traction battery when you're in a relatively static situation (polite way to describe a "traffic jam"), and so, an alternate source would be a great idea, so long as the cost is not too high.
Perpective: on a mild day, I've pulled into an Interstate rest area, the decel down the ramp pretty much maxing out traction battery, and then stopped for a highway nap to refresh myself. Under that circumstance, I've seen the TB power the AC for 45 minutes before it sucked it dry to where the ICE had to fire up to keep things cool. By contrast, on a very hot day, with slow traffic, I've seen the TB get drained by the AC to minimum allowable in five minutes. Remember also that the Prius has a variable speed AC compressor, so it only turns as fast as necessary to keep the car cool under existing circumstances. Very efficient setup.
I suspect that on those brutally hot, sunny southern days, the roof solar panels could make a real, and positive, difference. Again, assuming that they're not too expensive.