­

Tesla partner Panasonic pushes for photovoltaics on more car roofs [Video]

Tesla's partner, Panasonic, wants to change the roof on your car. How? According to a report from Bloomberg* yesterday, "Panasonic Corp. sees the future of solar on car rooftops. The Osaka-based electronics maker has started producing a 180-watt array of solar cells that can be fixed to the roof of an automobile." Panasonic's Shingo Okamoto explains, "Car roofs have the potential to become a new market for solar panels. We made history in the auto industry and in the solar industry with the sun powering mass-produced cars for the first time in the world."

 

Above: A look at the glass roof on the Tesla Model 3 prototype (Image: Teslarati)

It's reported that, "Cars could hold the promise of a giant new market for solar panels from Panasonic, which also is partnered with Tesla Inc. in making batteries at its Gigafactory outside Las Vegas." And it turns out that, "Tesla Chairman Elon Musk tweeted in November that his company’s Model 3 car may come with a solar roof. He’s also beginning to sell a type of roof tile for homes featuring embedded photovoltaics."

Above: A look at Tesla's solar roof tiles for use in residential applications (Image: Tesla)

Other car companies are already getting in on the action. "Nissan Motor Co. offers an add-on solar panel option for its Leaf electric cars, giving extra charge to systems such as the air conditioners and radios, according to Nicholas Maxfield, a spokesman for the company... [and] In February, Panasonic announced that its photovoltaic module would be used on the roof of Toyota Motor Corp.’s latest Prius plug-in hybrid." 

 

Above: Solar panels for Toyota’s Prius plug-in hybrid (Source: Bloomberg* via Toyota)

This is Toyota’s second attempt to outfit a Prius with a solar roof. When the Prius was released back in 2009, it had the option of a solar panel capable of producing 56 watts of power. However it was only used to charge the ventilation systems. That said, has Panasonic's new solar car roof improved at all since its last iteration? “We are aware that the panels are supplying only a small amount of electricity,” said Shoichi Kaneko, chief engineer for Prius. “But this system is still a breakthrough as we are making use of the energy we would be wasting otherwise. By filling all available space with cells, it is possible to extend the range easily to 10 kilometers.” 

 

Above: A look at the solar roof on top of the Toyota Prius PHEV (Source: CleanTechnica)

What about a solar rooftop for Tesla's Model 3? Well... we haven't heard much about the possibility of a Model 3 solar roof since Musk hinted last fall on Twitter. But, Panasonic and Tesla remain closely aligned. And, Panasonic is considered a world leader in solar technology — just this week Panasonic announced that their HIT Solar Module achieved the world's leading output temperature coefficient (at -0.258%/°C) resulting in a ~50% reduction in necessary power generation during hot summer months. And Panasonic is already collaborating on the manufacturing and production of photovoltaic cells and modules at Tesla Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York. 

 

Above: Toyota explains its solar roof functionality (Youtube: Toyota Global)

Furthermore, when the Gigafactory 2 partnership was announced last year, Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel noted that, "By working together [with Panasonic] on solar, we will be able to accelerate production of high-efficiency, extremely reliable solar cells and modules at the best cost." Will we see their partnership extend further — perhaps into automotive solar roofs? At the time, Panasonic VP Shuuji Okayama commented that, “the collaboration talks will lead to growth of the Tesla and Panasonic relationship.” Hmmm... maybe we should keep an eye on the roof options once Tesla's Model 3 configurator is finally revealed.

===

*Source: Bloomberg

USD
  • US Dollar (USD)
  • Euro (EUR)
  • British Pound (GBP)
  • Canadian Dollar (CAD)
  • United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
  • Albanian Lek (ALL)
  • Afghan Afghani (AFN)
  • Armenian Dram (AMD)
  • Angolan Kwanza (AOA)
  • Argentine Peso (ARS)
  • Australian Dollar (AUD)
  • Aruban Florin (AWG)
  • Azerbaijani Manat (AZN)
  • Burundian Franc (BIF)
  • Barbadian Dollar (BBD)
  • Bangladeshi Taka (BDT)
  • Bahamian Dollar (BSD)
  • Bahraini Dinar (BHD)
  • Bermudan Dollar (BMD)
  • Belarusian Ruble (BYN)
  • Belize Dollar (BZD)
  • Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN)
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Mark (BAM)
  • Brazilian Real (BRL)
  • Bolivian Boliviano (BOB)
  • Botswanan Pula (BWP)
  • Brunei Dollar (BND)
  • Bulgarian Lev (BGN)
  • Congolese Franc (CDF)
  • Swiss Franc (CHF)
  • Chilean Peso (CLP)
  • Chinese Yuan (CNY)
  • Colombian Peso (COP)
  • Costa Rican Colon (CRC)
  • Czech Republic Koruna (CZK)
  • Djiboutian Franc (DJF)
  • Danish Krone (DKK)
  • Dominican Peso (DOP)
  • Algerian Dinar (DZD)
  • Egyptian Pound (EGP)
  • Ethiopian Birr (ETB)
  • Fijian Dollar (FJD)
  • Falkland Islands Pound (FKP)
  • Gibraltar Pound (GIP)
  • Ghanaian Cedi (GHS)
  • Gambian Dalasi (GMD)
  • Guinean Franc (GNF)
  • Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ)
  • Georgian Lari (GEL)
  • Croatian Kuna (HRK)
  • Honduran Lempira (HNL)
  • Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
  • Haitian Gourde (HTG)
  • Hungarian Forint (HUF)
  • Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
  • Israeli New Shekel (ILS)
  • Icelandic Krona (ISK)
  • Indian Rupee (INR)
  • Iraqi Dinar (IQD)
  • Iranian Rial (IRR)
  • Jamaican Dollar (JMD)
  • Japanese Yen (JPY)
  • Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
  • Kenyan Shilling (KES)
  • Kyrgystani Som (KGS)
  • Cambodian Riel (KHR)
  • Comorian Franc (KMF)
  • South Korean Won (KRW)
  • Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)
  • Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD)
  • Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT)
  • Lebanese Pound (LBP)
  • Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
  • Liberian Dollar (LRD)
  • Lesotho Loti (LSL)
  • Libyan Dinar (LYD)
  • Moroccan Dirham (MAD)
  • Moldovan Leu (MDL)
  • Malagasy Ariary (MGA)
  • Myanmar Kyat (MMK)
  • Macedonian Denar (MKD)
  • Macanese Pataca (MOP)
  • Mauritian Rupee (MUR)
  • Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
  • Malawian Kwacha (MWK)
  • Mexican Peso (MXN)
  • Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)
  • Mozambican Metical (MZN)
  • Namibian Dollar (NAD)
  • Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
  • New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
  • Nicaraguan Cordoba (NIO)
  • Norwegian Krone (NOK)
  • Omani Rial (OMR)
  • Panamanian Balboa (PAB)
  • Pakistani Rupee (PKR)
  • Papua New Guinean Kina (PGK)
  • Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN)
  • Philippine Peso (PHP)
  • Polish Zloty (PLN)
  • Qatari Rial (QAR)
  • Romanian Leu (RON)
  • Russian Ruble (RUB)
  • Rwandan Franc (RWF)
  • Saudi Riyal (SAR)
  • Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (STD)
  • Serbian Dinar (RSD)
  • Seychellois Rupee (SCR)
  • Singapore Dollar (SGD)
  • Syrian Pound (SYP)
  • Swedish Krona (SEK)
  • New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)
  • Thai Baht (THB)
  • Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)
  • Trinidad and Tobago Dollar (TTD)
  • Tunisian Dinar (TND)
  • Turkish Lira (TRY)
  • Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD)
  • Sudanese Pound (SDG)
  • Sierra Leonean Leone (SLL)
  • Surinamese Dollar (SRD)
  • Swazi Lilangeni (SZL)
  • Tajikistani Somoni (TJS)
  • Tongan Paanga (TOP)
  • Turkmenistani Manat (TMT)
  • Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH)
  • Ugandan Shilling (UGX)
  • Uruguayan Peso (UYU)
  • Uzbekistan Som (UZS)
  • Venezuelan Bolivar (VEF)
  • Vietnamese Dong (VND)
  • Vanuatu Vatu (VUV)
  • Samoan Tala (WST)
  • Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
  • CFP Franc (XPF)
  • Yemeni Rial (YER)
  • South African Rand (ZAR)