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We had a Prius with a solar roof. Wasn't by choice, just happened to come with it since the car had all the other options we wanted. From what I remember it wo
by ecliptik 4y ago
We had a Prius with a solar roof. Wasn't by choice, just happened to come with it since the car had all the other options we wanted.
From what I remember it would periodically turn on the vents to circulate air when in full sun. Also had a button on the remote to startup the AC, which only worked within remote range.
Both features did make the cabin relatively cooler after being in the sun for a few hours. This was moderately useful in Southern California.
At the time reading about why it wouldn't trickle charge the battery had something to do with radio interference, which I feel was just an excuse to avoid hooking up a proper charging system. Doubt it would have made much of a difference anyway.
- Scoundreller 4y agoFeatures like this are a huge boon for in-vehicle air quality. Stepping into a new car that’s been sitting in the sun can’t be healthy. I just wish parked vehicles could automatically crack the windows open, but shut them if it’s raining/snowing. Maybe some geo-fencing so it only does it in relatively “safe” locations. Would also be beneficial in cold weather climates: it’s colder at night, so it would be warmer when I enter in the morning if it let the warmer morning air in.
- ggreer 4y agoEVs can do this without significantly depleting the battery. Every Tesla keeps the cabin temperature below 105°F as long as the battery is above 20% charge.[1] You can also turn on the climate control from your phone, making the car a comfortable temperature before you get in it. 1. https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_us/GUID-4F3599A1-20D9-4A49-B4A0-5261F957C096.html#CONCEPT_ULS_JYR_DX__GUID-BF40C5F7-B80D-4FD4-AFA4-C99C8A863976 https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_us/GUID-4F3599A...