It's obviously marketing and gimmicky, but I just wanted to note that I've used a portable 85W solar panel to keep my little 4-banger econobox running when my a

It's obviously marketing and gimmicky, but I just wanted to note that I've used a portable 85W solar panel to keep my little 4-banger econobox running when my alternator failed on a road trip. Saved me the cost of a tow and expensive repair wherever the tow truck took me to. Instead I was able to drive back to civilization proper and have the alternator rebuilt locally for $75. So I think having solar panels for assisting the alternator on an otherwise conventional econobox could at least be useful in terms of redundancy. It would improve the MPG slightly in the daytime as well, offloading the alternator. In a hybrid that can operate entirely off batteries, a rooftop solar system could get you out of an out of gas in the middle of nowhere bind if you've got plenty of time, food, and water on your hands.