This may be idle speculation, but it’s very exciting and very cool idle speculation. Looks like a rumor of a solar Toyota Prius is picking up some momentum.
I’ll agree with the author of the article on the basics. This isn’t necessarily a large technical innovation - the basic technology to do this is already there, especially if you’re not running the entire car off solar panels. Stanford University, among numerous other institutions, has shown you can get great results from combing the power of the sun and an automotive. It’s not going to blow anyone’s mind that this is possible.
But I think that’s actually the beauty of it. It’s mundane. It’s cool. It lets people know that solar has arrived, and marks a small step towards solar being known as the go-to for practical application of renewable energy technology.
To add a caveat, there’s always the risk that this reinforces the very dangerous assumption that solar is nifty, trivial, and extraneous, as opposed to something that can do more substantial work. But if the solar industry and Toyota itself can finesse this, the move could just come out by making solar look like what it is - eminently flexible and resourceful, a scalable energy solution.
On the whole it’s marvelous to think about and I can only hope that the rumor is true. And, if Toyota doesn’t bite and what should be a low-cost, high-gain publicity initiative, maybe another company will hear the rumor and decide to pre-empt them.
Be First To Comment
Related Post
Leave Your Comments Below