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Well the rumors have become news items so maybe there is truth to them now. Word had been getting around that Toyota was working on putting solar panels on the roof of the 2010 Prius that would be aimed at supplementing the power system (most likely the air conditioning system).

Today the rumors hit the newsstands as media began reporting that it was on reliable sources that Toyota was working on this solar panel idea using panels made by Kyocera. Toyota has so far refused to comment on the reports.

Now some of the reports seem a bit on the wild side as one outlet said they would generate 2-5 KW's of power which is as much as a whole rooftop array on your house.

"It's not going to eliminate gasoline consumption in a Prius, and it wouldn't be on my list of energy improvements I'd make to a car," said Mark Duvall, program manager for electric transportation studies at the Electric Power Research Institute. "But that doesn't mean it can't make a small but significant improvement in the amount of gasoline you'd use."

Now I would hope this one is going to come. It think it is high time to integrate solar panels into a huge variety of moving vehicles. Imagine the day when truck fleets have solar on them powering some or all of their energy needs. There are those who pooh pooh these ideas as being too expensive and futuristic. Well look up at that friggin sign as you drive by the gas station. Look at the cost of food at the store. It is time to take oil out fo the equation and get rolling with solar in as many ways as possible.

Don't back down Toyota!

Energy Tags: biodiesel" rel="tag">biodiesel, energy

Toyota's concept car, the new FT-HS, will essentially be a hybrid sports car come to life. Many sports car enthusiasts will be excited about this car that Toyota debuted in Detroit, Michigan, earlier in 2007. Their new Toyota FT-HS will be a sports car that is also a hybrid.

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It was announced today that Toyota and GM are working towards some sort of partnership that would lead to working together on the next generation of clean vehicles. That could include both hybrid and hydrogen fueled cars. Toyota of course has had a strong market share in hybrid cars in recent years and seems to be ahead of the pack with regard to devleoping fuel efficient cars for a world suffering from oil shortages.

Here is some of the news that was announced today:

"Toyota Motor Corp. is considering bolstering its alliance with General Motors Corp. in environmental technology and production in the United States, sources close to the matter said Friday. GM is currently in talks with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. for a possible three-way tie-up, and Toyota plans to approach GM over forming closer ties after checking the direction of the ongoing talks.

Carlos Ghosn, head of Nissan and Renault, and GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Wagoner met earlier this week in France to discuss issues related to the possible alliance, and their talks are scheduled to continue until Oct. 15.

Given that their talks are reportedly proceeding with difficulty, Toyota may be asked for some kind of help from GM, industry analysts said.

Should Toyota and GM enhance their cooperation, it would be most likely in the development of a next-generation eco-friendly car, a field where Toyota is strong."

Read the rest of this news here

From Japan’s leading car maker comes a hybrid that breaks the mould of conventional hybrids with a car that could just be a conventional comfortable regular four-door, four-seater – with a lot of great looks added.

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One of the leading car companies of the world, Toyota is coming out with their latest invention: The 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

As the name suggests, the Highlander Hybrid is packed with different systems, utilities and characteristics that work in unison to make this magnificent machine a truly incomparable sport-utility vehicle.

The 2008 Highlander Hybrid by Toyota is larger as compared to most of its cousins and predecessors and it several times more powerful too.

The creative design engineers at Toyota feel that the car is a mix of complex personalities that can well be defined only when they work together to make the Highlander stand apart in a crowded marketplace of hybrid cars.

Everything about this SUV seems to be proportionately larger than in most cars in the same range like the 7-passenger space.

The Highlander Hybrid has the latest Camry chassis, while the wheelbase has been increased by 3 inches, and its overall length and width has also increased by 4 inches and 3 inches respectively.

Three rows of seating on the inside and elegant interiors are tempting enough for any large family or mid-sized family. With so much of space and such a huge body, there’s no wonder that this new vehicle has put on some extra weight. It now weighs 263 pounds more than the previous model.

One of the major highlights or rather the central personality of the 2008 Highlander Hybrid is its upgraded 3.3-liter, V6 engine that can produce almost 270 horsepower.

The best thing is that even with the variable transmission the SUV is no where near being sluggish. The V6 engine makes sure that this heavy built personality can cruise to 60 mph in 7.5-seconds.

The Highlander has everything that an SUV should have and even drives like one, which makes it difficult for people to understand if it is an SUV or a mid-sized family car.

Equipped with a electronic power steering, it takes much less effort to turn the Highlander around a sharp bend or to maneuver it through curves. Another salient point of this huge vehicle is that it can be comfortably glided into the tightest of parking spaces.

The suspension of the Highlander has gone through some transformation to handle the 19-inch wheels.

The Highlander will live up to most of your expectations and offers three different methods of maximizing fuel economy. The System Indicator in the Highlander Hybrid has 2 automatic modes: the Normal and the Acceleration mode.

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