July 7th, 2008
Toyota will become the first major automaker to use solar power when it installs solar panels on the next-generation of its Prius hybrid, according to a Reuters report citing Japan’s Nikkei business daily.
The Japanese automaker plans to add solar panels on the roof of the high-end Prius models to power the car’s air conditioning, according to the newspaper. The gasoline-electric hybrid car will be redesigned early in 2009. Toyota has sold more that 1 million Prius sedans since it launched in Japan in 1997.
