Kaneka's solar cell technology features heterojunction and back-contact design, which has an appearance similar to vehicle roof glass. The cells were selected by Toyota due to the high conversion efficiency and excellent exterior design of the technology, as well as its curved surface design, enabling itself to be mounted on a car body.
Kaneka's solar cell has been for years recognized as the most efficient crystalline silicon PV device developed at both the industry and research levels. However, in November, Longi announced it crossed this threshold by achieving a power conversion efficiency of 26.81% for an unspecified heterojunction solar cell.
Kaneka started supplying bifacial heterojunction solar modules based on its cell technology in 2019, and it plans to begin full-scale delivery of in-vehicle PV products this year.
The new Prius PHEV is based on the latest fifth-generation hybrid system, which combines a compact, high-capacity drive battery and high-output drive motor in Toyota's first use of its newly developed 2.0-liter Plug-in Hybrid System. The model offers BEV driving distance of 87 km with 19-inch tires and 105 km with 17-inch tires, representing an improvement of 75% compared to the previous model.
The Prius PHEV also features Regeneration Boost, a function that provides stronger regenerative braking force than normal to deliver responsive driving performance while reducing the frequency of switching between the accelerator and brake pedals. It comes with both a BEV external power supply mode, which uses electricity stored in the battery to provide an external power supply for outdoor, leisure, and other activities, and an HEV external power supply mode, which can use the car as a power supply during blackouts, disasters, and other emergencies. The Prius PHEV is equipped with a second-generation solar charging system that efficiently converts solar energy into electricity, providing enough power to drive up to 1,200 km per year in BEV mode.
The all-new Prius uses the same body design for both the HEV and PHEV models, with their individuality expressed through small differences in shapes and color schemes. The exclusive PHEV design comes with 19-inch aluminum wheels with a sporty and dynamic shape, and a metallic silver lower grille and smoky gray tail lamps.