A Prius in the Sun

Do you want to be a good global citizen? Buy a hybrid vehicle. Want to be a BETTER global citizen?? Buy a tricked-out Prius with solar panels on it roof!

For a while, my daughters used to watch ‘Pimp My Ride‘ on MTV. For any of you who haven’t seen it, rapper Xzibit selects one lucky owner of a literal piece of drek and magically transforms it (with Mad Mike and his supremely talented crew) into an urban glam-cruiser. In the same spirit of a green-overhaul, I think the engineers at Toyota had a ball with this one.

Toyota Design Manager: New hybrid cars are popping up everywhere. We need to take the Prius to the next level. Ideas?

Engineer One: We use only free-range hamsters in the powerplant treadmill?

Engineer Two: We add a bovine-fuel supplement? (h/t Newsbusters)

Engineer Three: Install passenger foot pedals!!

Engineer Four: I got it! We put solar panels on the top and call it a TRUE sunroof!

Toyota Design Manager: Let’s go solar. PETA will be on our case if we install a cow.

Seriously, this is what happens when ingenuity is applied to a problem. Toyota’s Solar Prius may not be a total magic bullet, but it shows that when you think out-of-the-box, ideas increase geometrically. Kudos to Toyota.

While fossil fuels will only take us so far for so long, the sun isn’t supposed to burn out for a few billion years.

CBS News: Prius May Begin to Use Solar Panels on Roof