Originally Posted by noku

Believe the solar roof on the Prius operates cabin vent fans which lowers the temps during hot days. The a/c can be started w/ the keyless remote before entering the vehicle. I don't own a Prius but I thought these to be what the functionalities are.

Originally Posted by DDS62

Does everybody think that the Hybrid is a more valuable design than the all electric vehicle like I do? I keep hearing about the next wave of EV’s that will obsolete the Hybrid. That will never happen. The EV’s will dominate and replace gas vehicles in the future but only for environmental and political reasons. EV’s are not cheap to operate. When including the costs of the batteries, they are way (way) more expensive. And every new electric vehicle from this date on will incorporate a complete hybrid system anyway – because the energy recaptured is free. The operating cost of electricity for the EV’s is more than most realize. For instance the new 100 mile range Nissan Leaf EV will cost the owner about 50% of the costs of a Prius Hybrid for gas or about $3.50 for a recharge. And that 100 mile range will only be obtainable when the batteries are new, and when there is no need to use the heater or A/C. I won’t estimate what range could be expected out of the Leaf after 5 years and in the dead of winter, but I have read articles estimating it to be as low as 50 miles. At that point the cost of gas for the Prius will be the same as electricity for the Leaf (assuming $3.50/gal which is admittedly best case for Hybrid comparison). The reason behind the high costs of electricity is the inherent difficulty in charging batteries. It takes a long time. The Nissan Leaf, for example takes 8 hours for a complete charge on a special $2,000 240V 30 amp circuit. Just imagine what your electricity bill would look like running your dryer or hot water heater 8 hours every day. The deciding factor between the cost of operating an EV vs a Hybrid is dependent not only on the costs of gas, but also the rate at which batteries can be recharged. Which has started a new technology in battery charging design. As we speak millions are being spent by Toyota, Nissan, GM and Ford trying to develop new charging techniques. Some of that development includes new battery chemicals, but the driving force is the time to recharge, because at the current charge densities available with the NiMH and Li-ion batteries charging speed has become as important as charge density. Ultimately the ideal battery would be a huge capacitor with little or no charge time. Then the costs of driving an EV would approach zero – but the capacitor would be the size of a bus and I wouldn’t want to stick my finger in that socket.