Why don't automakers design solar panels in roofs of hybrid cars?

Question

Engineers lately are working on every part of a car to
improve its MPG, they optimize the engine, batteries,
aerodynamic shape, even regenerative breaking
to win extra percents of efficiency here and there
But there's one area of a car where immense energy is lost
Just look at a large parking lot in the summer where
you see thousand of cars baked in the sun for hours
It is the roof! The sun does nothing useful but heating
the habitacle to sometimes up to 125F which ages
prematurely the plastics.

What if designers put some 1m2 solar panel in the roof? It would
silently recharge the battery, equivalent to free gas falling
from the sky. The panel can also charge while driving
The outer panel shape would be convex and smooth so the
wind would see no difference vs regular car.
It would run best in California, Arizona, and sunny states, in
summers when gas is heavily demanded
It could save maybe 10 percent (to confirm),
heck 10 percent more MPG i take it!
So why not?

Answer 1

These kits are available for the Prius. There are a few reasons why they're not very popular though.

The panels can't be aimed very well, so they won't work at max effectiveness.

For the price of covering the roof of the car with photovoltaics, one could build a much more effective solar array at home. This array could be used to plug-in charge a hybrid car or be connected to the power grid. Sending the power of a properly-aimed, permanently-mounted array to the power grid would save more emissions and resources than a photovoltaic roof on a hybrid car.

Answer 2

Our solar energy technology has not yet really reached a point where this would be terribly effective. A single solar panel the size of a car roof would sadly not provide very much power to the car. You certainly couldn't run on it; you might be able to power the radio, I suppose. They're expensive to produce, and to replace if anything damages them (which is fairly likely in a car).
This isn't to say that solar energy is a bust or not effective at all. On a large scale, solar energy is definitely the way to go. In orbit, the International Space Stations draws major power from its solar panels, but it has hundreds of square feet of them - most space than the actual inhabited space of the station. FedEx's major shipping headquarters near LAX is covered in a state of the art solar array that, except for peak holiday shipping, tends to power the massive facility and supply a little back to the grid. Large scale, solar energy is the way to go. On a small, personal scale, we don't have enough efficiency yet to make it effective.
Now, solar arrays on your roof, or spanning an otherwise vacant WalMart parking lot, into which you could plug the battery in your electric car - that sounds like a good way to get your commuting done.

Answer 3

Why not just do it your self?

Why does it have to be someone in the government or the big auto makers or the home designers or builders?

The only problem we have at getting something done is that everyone is afraid or too lazy to do it themselfs.

You can go to yahoo shopping and type in "solar laminates". Laminate means you peal and stick. How hard is that?

1 pack of smokes per day times one year is $1460.00.
You could bring food from home and not pay 8 dollars a day for lunch at work. that would be about $2800.00 a year. Right there you saved over $4000.00 and could buy a small solar system or a wind energy system.

I really think people should quit complaining if they are not willing to do anything about it. Even if the products was there (and they are there now) most still will not buy them because they would rather have that Big Mac or that pack of smokes.

Think about it....

Answer 4

Probably due to technical limitations. one thing is a big house with a big roof and you attached a decent size solar panel there. Other thing is a limited space sun roof with literally a moving target (the car).

Alternatively, they should thing of using the energy produced by the car in motion to gather energy to fill up a battery of some sort. and that battery could be a spare one that will be put to use once the main one drains out.

Just food for thought.

Cesar

Answer 5

The Xebra Xero comes with solar panels on the roof. It's a version of the ZAP Xebra electric car, costs an extra $2000, and has the same efficiency.

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

Basically to add solar panels on a car would be an extra cost. It wouldn't be a big increase in mileage efficiency because solar panels are currently heavy and not terribly efficient. This might change as thin film solar technology advances, but at the moment it's not very feasible.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ahs6sXyl2CBxk9y0QgnC4vEjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070827152446AAx9B6y

The ZAP-X will have solar power-generating glass on its window surfaces though.

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/zap-x-all-electric-solar-windowed-super-car-pictures-released/

Answer 6

Cost and efficiency, current solar panels are not that efficient and the cost is high, as the cost comes down and efficiency increases they will get into the biz radar.

Its all about a break even point when the cost and efficiency will come together to make sense.

Answer 7

because that would be one more thing to clean the snow off of, and solar panels are expensive to replace if damaged and it takes a full 8 hours of full sun to just recharge AA battery, so how much good is a solar panel going to do on a car? not very much

Answer 8

to tell you the truth it would be extremely expensive , apperance has nothing to do with it,
designers have thier method, they would absolutely find a way to sell a car with solar panels on the roofs, along side it being expensive, cars get damaged easly, and every car shop might not able to fix that kind of issue, and if a crash did occur, it could result in shortages from, messed up wiring cause more loss of electricity than gain.....

basically there are many contributing favtors...

Answer 9

Because it's too small!! It would make little energy! besides panels gotta be straight (they gotta be straight as it's the position where the rays reach more efficiently), cars roofs are usually not. I think also the heat generated by the panel could affect the car in some way, and! It would look ugly!

Answer 10

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