Solar Hybrids Vehicles

Solar pioneer Greg Johanson set a world record for the fastest speed in a sun-powered car way back in 1986. That car, Sunrunner, has since been retired and its solar array relegated to some California rooftop, but Johanson is still building cars fueled by the sun. Now you can too.

Johanson and the guys at Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and they've developed a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that he says provides up to 20 miles of range and boosts fuel economy up to 29 percent. The company is testing its first solar energy system exclusively for hybrids in four "PV Prius" prototypes and a "PV Highlander."

"Designing solar modules to be hooked up to cars has always been one of Greg Johanson's pet projects," company spokesman Billy Bautista tells us. "He has now finally developed that idea, and SEV hopes to be making sales deliveries by early next year."

SEV is working with Kyocera to develop the solar modules, which are fabricated from fiberglass and sold as kits you install with help from an instructional DVD. A DC-DC converter connects the module directly to the nickel-metal hydride battery in your Prius.

The system can generate as many as 1,300 watt-hours a day, enough to give your solar Prius a solar-power range of 5 to 8 miles, according to the company's white paper. Couple that with the NiMH battery and you're looking at an all-electric range of up to 20 miles, the company says. That's enough to boost fuel economy 17 to 29 percent.

SEV knows the kit's $3,500 asking price is a decent chunk of change — particularly when gas is somewhere around a buck-sixty a gallon — but it hopes to continue refining the technology with an eye toward making it more affordable. As it stands, SEV realizes the kit will probably appeal only to hard-core greenies. "Production costs were raised due to the recent economic downturn," said Bautista. "So right now, we're focusing on catering to the environmentally friendly."

And the PV Prius is nothing if not environmentally friendly. The solar conversion extends battery life and cuts CO2 emissions by at least 9,000 pounds over the life of the car, the company says.

SEV is working with Ford to develop solar modules for its hybrids and hopes to strike a deal with General Motors to design one for the Chevrolet Volt. It also is trying to get the government to offer tax incentives so customers can break even on the cost after two or three years.

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