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AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsAlexander W. Schuyler, Jarod Duncan, Eric Chow, Saeed D. Heydari, Madeleine D. Steele
Estimating the term…
A tonneau cover for a truck bed may include one or more solar panels configured to convert sunlight into electricity. The electricity generated by the solar panels may be stored in one or more batteries within the truck. The solar panels may be directly integrated with the electronics of the truck such that energy generated by the solar panels may be accessible via a power port located in the truck bed or may be used directly by the internal battery of the vehicle to supply power to auxiliary functions. The solar tonneau cover can also be electrically and/or mechanically controlled to reposition itself as the vehicle is driven or is stationary to capture the most sunlight and energy for the vehicle. For a hybrid or electric vehicle, power generated by the solar panels may be used to power the vehicle and/or extend the range of the vehicle.
A tonneau cover for a truck, comprising:
A system for converting solar energy into electricity on a vehicle, the system comprising:
A method for transforming sunlight into usable electricity for a truck, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.