By Ben Mack - Wired News
December 16, 2008 | 2:14:36 PM
Solar pioneer Greg Johanson set a world record for the fastest speed in a sun-powered car way back in 1986. That car, Sunrunner, has since been retired and its solar array relegated to some California rooftop, but Johanson is still building cars fueled by the sun. Now you can too.
Johanson and the guys at Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and they've developed a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that he says provides up to 20 miles of range and boosts fuel economy up to 29 percent. The company is testing its first solar energy system exclusively for hybrids in four "PV Prius" prototypes and a "PV Highlander."
"Designing solar modules to be hooked up to cars has always been one of Greg Johanson's pet projects," company spokesman Billy Bautista tells us. "He has now finally developed that idea, and SEV hopes to be making sales deliveries by early next year."
Solar_prius_panelSEV is working with Kyocera to develop the solar modules, which are fabricated from fiberglass and sold as kits you install with help from an instructional DVD. A DC-DC converter connects the module directly to the nickel-metal hydride battery in your Prius.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/the-solar-prius.html