Toyota's project for the Prius petrol-electric hybrid gets greener and greener and next year it will take another step when some high-end models will have their roofs equipped with solar panels which convert solar power into energy.

Prius’ solar panels will provide 2 to 5 kilowatts of electricity according to The Nikkei said. The panels will be acquired by Toyota from Japanese electronics maker Kyocera.

Therefore, the upgraded Prius will not only come with a hybrid electric-gasoline engine and automatic self-parking, but it will also feature the sun-panel roof which will power a “part of” the vehicle’s air conditioning.

Toyota seems to have made the hybrid technology the pillar of its growth strategy and already announced it plans to sell hybrids in every model in its line-up by the year 2020. However, the company’s spokesman Paul Nolasco wouldn’t comment on the subject of the solar panels.

Through the use of solar panels, the Prius will use the sun’s power against itself and will be able to keep the vehicle’s passengers cool without making the engine work harder as all the other cars do. The car industry is still far from producing vehicles that are able to function only by using solar energy, but the small steps which Toyota is making are in the right direction.

The Prius was first released by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan in 1997, as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle.