Thursday, November 22, 2007
The company sells
conversion kits that can be used with hybrid cars.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The curved roof of the Toyota Prius in front of the Solar Electrical Systems office is covered with 146 dark, 4-inch-square solar cells.
When Greg Johanson first had the idea to give the hybrid car a bit of solar electrical energy, he didn’t know what a challenge that curved roof would present.
Johanson’s company had to embed the solar cells into fiberglass and custom mold it.
Tapping the roof, Johanson called the Prius the “worst vehicle” for testing his concept.
“I have a habit of doing things backward,” he said. “If we could make the worst vehicle work, the easy vehicle should be easy.”
The company soon will be producing solar panels for Toyota’s Rav4 EV and Highlander, two vehicles with very flat roofs.
Johanson is president of Solar Electrical Systems, which creates and installs home and business solar systems. Known for his tinkering, Johanson — who co-designed the first entirely solar-powered vehicle — launched Solar Electrical Vehicles as a sister business in 2005 to focus on bringing solar power to hybrid cars.
Since then, Solar Electrical Vehicles has sold about 130 conversion kits for the Prius. The system drinks up solar power and uses motorcycle batteries hidden in the rear well to supplement the manufacturer’s battery.
The company is bracing for a confluence of events and technology that could vault the business from a small operation into a high-demand enterprise.
“It’s going to go to hyper-acceleration,” Johanson said, predicting a “very fast and very wild ride” for the business in the coming years as oil prices rise.
He said it’s getting close to that tipping point of people demanding more efficient and environmentally friendly options. When that happens, “we’ll be here,” he said.
Hybrid-car sales have been down, along with the entire car market. Hybrids made up less than 2 percent of overall vehicle sales in September, according to Hybridcars.com. But the site also noted that hybrid growth was outpacing the general auto market for the year. In the first nine months of this year, hybrid sales grew 38 percent, while general auto sales fell 3 percent.
California is the largest seller of hybrid vehicles, said John Masterson, president of Western Automotive Consultants in Ventura. California and Florida top all states in selling hybrids. But Masterson cautioned that “two states does not make a market.”
Solar Electrical Vehicles’ solar-conversion kits build off the conversions that people already are doing to make their Priuses “plug-in” hybrids. A traditional hybrid charges its electrical battery from energy created when the gas engine is running. The owner of a plug-in hybrid can plug it into a regular wall socket overnight and start the day with a fully charged battery. That can reduce the amount of gas the Prius uses.
The solar kits push it one step further, giving motorists a little extra energy while they’re sitting in traffic or w aiting to pick the kids up from soccer practice.
A solar Prius will use 17 percent to 29 percent less gasoline than a standard Prius, according to a research paper on the Solar Electrical Vehicles site.
The conversion and installation runs about $4,500, including $2,500 for the solar panels, Johanson said.
He said increased demand should continue to push technology advances. He expects lighter, stronger cars in the future with smaller engines and better fuel economy.
Johanson noted that the new Prius will have a larger battery pack because it has a smaller engine, and Toyota’s plans for plug-in Priuses should make the solar option even more attractive.
He said the biggest problem is that the solar panels will outlive the cars, and they’re permanently attached so they won’t go blowing off on the highway. Solar panels usually last about 30 years.
Two types of people tend to buy the kits, he said. First, there are the engineers who “think it’s really cool.” Then, there are those who want to make the green statement — including the rich and famous.
As an example, Johanson said his company is going to put solar panels on actor Tom Hanks’ electric vehicle. For some, it becomes a way to attract attention for a business, such as the pizza joint that bought a fleet of 10 solar Priuses for delivery of its organic pizzas.