Solar Prius reportedly in the works

The problem with hybrid and electric car technology has always been that you still have to get the energy to charge the battery from somewhere. Even a plug-in electric car may use no gasoline, but it still requires electrical power, and the vast majority of that still comes from fossil fuels that cost money, pollute, and contribute to global warning.

Hybrids may be better but they still aren't perfect, so kudos to Toyota for innovating one step further: According to reports, the company (which is set to give the popular car a huge makeover in 2009) will be adding solar panels to the roof of the Prius to give its electrical system a zero-cost/zero-emissions boost to its juice.

Now for the bad news: No, you won't be able to run your Prius on solar power alone. In fact, the solar cell is reportedly so small it will only generate "part of the two to five kilowatts needed to power the air-conditioning" on the car. There's no word on how big a "part" of that consumption the unit will fill, but even if the solar panel covers the entire roof of the car, I wouldn't expect it to muster more than a few hundred watts of power, possibly a full kilowatt if we're lucky.

Still, every bit helps. Who would've thought that regenerative braking in the Prius would be a significant source of electrical power? Yet the Prius's braking system has become a significant, possibly crucial, energy source for the car.

With 450,000 Prius vehicles coming out of the factory next year, the aggregate is that a whole lot of solar energy should be being cranked out on the roads. With that many roving solar panels, here's hoping that solar cell efficiency will see some dramatic improvements in the coming years as manufacturers see what good old sunlight can do to keep traffic moving.

LINK: Toyota to equip Prius with solar panels: report