GPS

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

One of the most popular Hybrid vehicles on the market is the Toyota Prius. It is both compact and economical, with a starting price of just $22,400. The price puts the Prius within the realms of reality for the everyday, albeit environmentally-conscious, individual.

The third generation of Toyota Prius, the 2010 model, has EPA ratings of 51 mpg in the city, and 49 mpg on the highway. Even for a hybrid, that’s not bad, and is a step up from earlier years’ Toyota Prius models.

But now a new pricing structure is in the works up for this hybrid. The Toyota Prius I, II, III, IV, and V are reportedly already available.

The lowest-prices version is the Toyota Prius I, which should run for around $21,000, while the Prius V starts at $27,670.

While the new line of Priuses will include a range of features, it gets better.. A solar powered roof package is available for the Toyota Prius II, III, and IV Models – although not for the V.

The solar-powered roof system costs between $3,600 and $4,500. It uses solar power to supplement the vehicle’s power and get even better mileage. This package also includes a solar-powered ventilation system, a navigation system, a power tilt/slide moon roof, and remote-control air conditioning … for those of us who just can’t be bothered to lean forward and turn the knob?

With the combination of hybrid technology and solar power, an entirely different range of fuel efficiency may be possible. The solar powered hybrid is said to make mileages of up to 70 mpg possible, under ideal circumstances.

If you live in or often drive through a sunny climate, a solar roof might go a long ways in reducing your gas bill and pollution emissions.

Under some (somewhat theoretical) circumstances, the driver of a solar-powered Toyota Prius might never need to buy gas at all.

But at the very least, a driver of a solar powered Prius who uses the vehicle’s “eco” settings and who follows basic speed guidelines can expect to need gas far less often – so infrequently, in fact, that he should take care not to forget to stop for gas at all.

About the author: Megan Barlow helps others learn how they can live greener and more environmentally friendly lives.

To learn more, visit her blog, Green Gadget.

Source Article: Solar Powered Prius

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Autos, Trucks and More. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.