Are plug in hybrid vehicles planning to include a solar panel for their roof?

Question

If a solar panel could be carried in the trunk of a vehicle and was placed on the roof once we arrived at our sunny 20-40 mile destination and we stayed there for several hours or a complete work day, it seems it could be locked in place to avoid theft and make at least a partial charge for the drive home. If this is reasonable, what would be the minimum kw panel needed to avoid having to use any fuel?

Answer 1

i think between size cost and possibility of dammaged to it it is highly unlikely

Answer 2

Tobe efficient, you would need about 4KW of panels.  That wuld be as many square feet as the wings of a small sized airplane. Not appropriate.

Answer 3

Solar Electrical Vehicles specializing in adding a convex solar roof to hybrid cars. The solar modules are rated at 200-300 watts, and this power is utilized to charge a supplemental battery. With the solar roof, the Toyota Prius can operate up to 20 miles per day in electric mode

http://www.batteryvehiclesociety.org.uk/...

also see http://solarvan.co.uk/

but generally it is more efficient to have a home based system that can be optimised for size and direction/shading and avoid carrying the extra weight around; Tesla http://www.teslamotors.com offer such a service

Answer 4

One is.  Aptera is making an EV and plug-in hybrid which will have a solar panel on the roof.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2008...

http://aptera.com/

Also the ZAP-X EV is supposed to have nano solar cells in its windows.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles

And the ZAP Xebra Xero has a solar panel on top.

http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicle...

And you can modify current hybrids to add a solar panel to the roof.

http://4wheelsblog.com/prototypes/solar-...

But I don't think the major auto companies (i.e. Chevy Volt) are planning on putting solar panels on their plug-ins.