The giant flowers are actually solar-powered flowers that generate electricity and provide free Wi-Fi for anybody who pass by the said flower. They can actually stay beside the solar-powered flowers if they bring with them their laptop as what you can see in the picture. Up to 10 persons can stay at the base of the base of the stem while charging their laptops and other devices.
This is part of Toyota’s national marketing campaign for the launch of the 3rd generation Prius in 2010. This solar-powered flowers are being planted in the urban areas. Aside from free Wi-Fi, it also generates electricity. The generated electricity travels down the stem to plastic green benches with 110-volt outlets.
The 18-foot flowers have solar cells behind their petals and at the base of the stem.
The flowers which were initially seen in Boston operate from 8am to 9pm. It will also be expected to be seen in New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In addition to the flowers, Toyota is also demonstrating solar ventilation bus shelters in some cities. The shelters feature solar panels on the roof that operate fans and circulate air within the shelter. This system serves as a model of the Prius’ solar-powered ventilation system, which uses solar panels on the roof to power a fan that ventilates the car when parked in the sun.
I highly recommend these things in Saudi Arabia, especially during summer season when it is very hot and these will surely be very useful.