菲亚特汽车公司与爱尔兰太阳能制造商SolarPrint达成协议，成为最新利用太阳能电池板车顶安装汽车电源板设备的汽车制造商。公司将利用低成本光伏材料，产生电力共供应汽车上能源消耗元件，如空调和供暖系统，这样预计将减少高达15%的燃油消耗。
奥迪，大众，丰田汽车已经聘请了一些类似的技术，使他们汽车的引擎在关闭是保持低温。虽然这篇文章并没有说在这车辆的太阳能电池板将被纳入，但克莱斯勒正计划生产菲亚特500电动版本。美国制造业将不断完善该技术的应用。
Fiat sealed the deal with Irish solar manufacturer SolarPrint, becoming the latest carmaker to add solar panels to the car roofs that will power onboard devices. Using low-cost photovoltaic material to offset parasitic drain from energy-hungry components, such as air conditioning and heating systems, is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 percent, according to an article in SiliconRepublic.
Audi, Volkswagen, and Toyota already employ similar technology in some vehicles to keep them cool while the engine is off.
Though the article didn't say in which vehicles the solar panels will be incorporated, the electric version of the Fiat 500 that Chrysler is planning on manufacturing for the U.S. would be the perfect application for this technology.
