[CarrotAndStick]

June 5, 2006 11:00 AM PDT

Solar car vents keep you cool

Posted by Paul Lin
 

With the school year winding down, parents look ahead to plenty of hot summer days out on the road with the kids in the car. Just how hot those days can be may not hit you until you open the door of a car that's been baking for hours in a parking lot. The fun really starts when the little ones have to get in.

 

Credit: Digital Kitchen

An outside view of Susita's TO-230

In these fuel-conscious times, when consumers may think twice before cranking the AC, one alternative is a solar car ventilator. Susita makes a model called the TO-230. It's basically a small fan weighing 1-1/2 pounds that goes on top of a car window, with a solar panel facing outward.

The solar panel, which is 5 inches by 4.5 inches, powers the fan, which exchanges hot air inside the car for the presumably cooler air outside. If you park in the shade and want to use the fan, there's a plug-in adapter for the car. One retail Web site says the fan can reduce your parked car's interior temperature by 25 degrees, though that's not much solace considering another Web site cited 160 to 180 degree temps inside a parked car on a sunny day.

Pricing varies online. Digital Kitchen lists the fan for $34.95 in its "Dads & Grads" sale, down from $49.95. Carol Wright gifts carries solar fans for $29.99. AmeriMark listed them for $14.99. Or try your luck bidding on eBay.

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-6079960-7.html

 

[Ingtar]

I have one of those. Here in Memphis, it is not going to take the car below the unsafe level when it is 105 out, but it does help.

[davisfh]

These devices are NOT air conditioners and must not be relied on to keep the vehicle cool. All they will do is circulate a little ambient air into and out of the car.

My wife and I have a little dog that we take along when we travel. Our solution to this problem is to take along a spare set of keys, keep the vehicle running and the air conditioner on. We lock the vehicle when we leave it and the pooch stays nice and cool.

Do this only during daylight hours and in well traveled areas, though, or you might return and find your vehicle gone.

[ErnBatavia]

I bought the cheaper, but same functioning, "As Seen on TV" version since we live in the desert and have had some 120+ days this summer.

Of course, they don't do a thing if the outside temp is even in the low 80's....and you have to park correctly to get the sun to the solar.

We generally just try to park pointing north, so the front seats, steering wheel and shifters are not receiving direct sun.