Toyota to add solar energy to cars by Livia Cseresova

Toyota Motor Corp., which is to launch the third generation Prius hybrid cars next year, is reputedly going to install solar panels on some of them. It's not, however,clear how how many of them would Toyota produce, since the spokesman of the company refused to comment anything.The solar panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp could possibly power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius.Famous car-companies, which want to seem ecologically conscious and get more customers, are competing to create alternative solutions to using fossil fuels and many of them now cooperate with battery makers to originate lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages.Solar power probably isn't the best solution. According to a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kentaro Endo, powering the whole car with solar energy would be very difficult, even though it's an interesting idea. Solar panels would also be quite expensive.In 1990's Mazda Motor Corp. tried the solar panel option on two car models but it was not popular and it stopped after a couple of years.Toyota is currently trying to keep up with demand for the Prius as gasoline prices discourage customers to buy gas-using vehicles. Honda Motor Co will also icrease the productions its hybrid cars next year. The Toyota's Prius was at first on sale in 1997 in Japan and then in 2000 in other countries. Sales has reached 1 million units all around the world and the current aim of Toyota is to sell a million hybrid cars per year.

by Livia Cseresova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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