I was thinking (I know, dangerous) that it would be a good mod for the TCH to have a few small solar panels placed on the rear deck. When you park your car, it would be charging the traction battery. I suppose you would even get a slight charge while you are moving too.

Since the battery pack is right under the rear deck, you would not have to run wires very far.

I suspect that someone has already though of this...A little bit like a plug-in hybrid.

I wonder if some enterprising modder has thought of this yet?

Sounds like a good idea, but the panels would probably be expensive. I would put them at a 30 degree angle to hit more sun light. If I had access to solar panels I'd give it a try...I don't feel like going to the dollar store and buying a hundred solar calculators :-P

Solar panels provide very low voltage, you would either need a lot of them and I mean more than 100 or build some DC to DC voltage converter, either way definitely not worth it. On the other hand it would be easier, less expensive and beneficial to recharge 12 v battery, actually this would make a lot of sense if you don't drive your car for weeks at the time, since smart key and computers are constantly discharging 12 v battery, even when the car is shutdown. Another solar project you could try would be to have solar powered fan, keeping the car cool when parked in sun. This would have similar effect as charging traction battery: you don't need as much AC to keep temperature low and keeping inside temp of the car lower, would make traction battery being used more efficiently.

The solar fan is available at Walmart for about $30 Something like this http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-6079960-7.html

Solar panels on the back shelf? I was looking at the Escape Hybrid pictures and there is one with a bunch of solar panels on a roof of a red FEH. Not sure how they were being used though. But there are solar car battery chargers like http://www.modernoutpost.com/gear/de...saverplus.html not sure it they will charge the TCH battery though.

It would be a cool idea. I wonder if the added weight and if the airflow disruption would have a adverse effect on mpg.

Roy

I meant for it to be placed on the rear deck, inside the car.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/s...ad.php?t=13762

Cheers;