Report: Toyota working on car powered solely by solar energy

Posted: Jan 01, 2009
Filed under: Hybrids, Green News, Toyota

According to the Nikkei Japanese newspaper, Toyota is working on a compact-car that will be solely powered by solar energy. The newspaper said that it will be years before the vehicle ever makes it to the markets but Toyota is quickly looking for ways to differentiate itself in the “green car” market.

Nikkei said that the Japanese automaker is currently working on an electric-car that gets some of its power from solar cells and will later develop a model that will be totally powered by solar cells mounted onto the roof of the vehicle.

While Toyota forecasted its first operating loss in 70 years last month, it is still the leader in green technology and Toyota executives have emphasized that they will not cut back on environmental research despite the company’s financial troubles.

Toyota is expected to gain knowledge of solar energy in vehicle use from its partner, Panasonic Corp., which currently produces batteries for its hybrid cars.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Related Posts:

  1. 2010 Toyota Prius to get greener with solar-panels
  2. Solar-powered road studs increase night-time vision, coming to the US
  3. Hello Mike: The KITT is a solar powered ‘hybrid’
  4. Light at night on the open road: Solar-powered LED road markers
  5. Report: Toyota working on a plug-in hybrid

Tags: ,


  • sheznj
    Who cares if toyota can release cars that don't use gas. Their styling is complete rubbish and when you drive past someone who actually owns a toyota, you just want to laugh about how they will not get laid on a Friday night. In addition to this, the car looks like garbage and probably performs as good as it looks. You could not pay me to drive it.
  • Pat
    Yes but Toyota's quality is unbeatable. So imagine this man is in the club...gets a girl to go home with him...goes outside and the vallet comes up to him and goes "sir your German car isn't starting" then he's not getting laid at all....not to mention Toyota Priuses attract girls because you think you care about the environment.
  • HMMM
    sounds like the pinnafirina solar powered electric car.
blog comments powered by Disqus