On July 4, NEDO (Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), Sharp, and Toyota announced a plan to start public road trials. This joint effort will assess the effectiveness of improvements in cruising range and fuel efficiency of electric vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries.

A true collaboration

To facilitate the execution of this trial, Sharp modularized its high-efficiency solar battery cells, previously developed for a NEDO-led project, to create an onboard solar battery panel. Toyota installed this panel on the roof, hood, rear hatch door, and other parts of its “Prius PHV” and produced a demo car for public road trials.

“Prius PHV demo model equipped with solar battery panel” Credit: Toyota.

By enhancing the solar battery panel’s efficiency and expanding its onboard area, Toyota was successful achieving a rated power generation output of around 860 W, which is approximately 4.8-times higher in comparison with the commercial model Prius PHV (equipped with a solar charging system). In addition to dramatically upping its power generation output, the demo car employs a system that charges the driving battery while the car is parked and also while it’s being driven, a development that is expected to lead to significant improvements in electric-powered cruising range as well as fuel efficiency.

Complex trials

Toyota intends to conduct the trials under various driving conditions in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Tokyo, and other areas. Various data, including the power generation output of the solar battery panel and the amount the drive battery is charged, will be gathered and verified, and then used in the development of an onboard solar recharging system. Furthermore, Toyota plans to share a selection of trial data results with NEDO and Sharp. The PV (photovoltaic) powered Vehicle Strategy Committee, sponsored by NEDO and other entities will gauge the benefits based on improvements in CO2 emissions reductions and convenience, such as the number of times a vehicle requires recharging. The goal is to contribute to the creation of a new solar battery panel market, that includes the transport sector, and find solutions for energy and environmental issues.

Nancy Cohen from Tech Xplore says: “What’s not to like about this concept: high-efficiency solar cells gifting electric cars with mileage.”

Bertel Schmitt, author at The Drive, believes that the “The solar roof could morph from mostly a marketing-device to a helpful feature. On a fair-weather day, the juice would be provided by the sun, a big improvement especially for people who don’t have their own garage.”

What an exciting “tech for good” project. 🙏🏼😎🙏🏼