Solar car

Solar cars (or solar vehicles) are a special type of electric vehicle that only get their power from the sun. They use solar cells on the surface of the car to produce electricity and the electricity makes a motor turn, and that turns the wheels. They are not useful for normal driving, but once built, they can drive all day and not make any pollution. There are also some solar-powered vehicles for unusual cases, like the first rovers on Mars.

Also, there are electric vehicles that can be charged from separate solar panels, and those panels can be as big as needed. This can work to power an electric car for most daily needs. But this is not called a solar car, since it doesn't have the solar panels right on the car.

History

Solar Car "2011 Tokai Challenger"

The first competition was a trip from Sydney, Australia to Perth in 1983.

Competitions

There are now several competitions to see who can build the best solar-powered car. Some of these are for college students, some are open to anybody. It is not easy to build a good solar car. This is a good test of engineering skills, and helps improve the efficiency of cars and test solar equipment.

• World Solar Challenge - the biggest and toughest race is still in Australia
• American Solar Challenge - cross country and race track races in the United States

Solar Car Media

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  Cells, modules, and arrays

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  The Squad Solar City Car, as presented of the Fully Charged 2022 event in Amsterdam.

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  Solar cars from University of Michigan and University of Minnesota heading west toward the finish line in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge

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  Solar cells spread over the top of this car produce enough energy to keep its electric motor running

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  Sunswift IV and control vehicle during speed record attempts at HMAS Albatross

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  Prototype of the Sion family car

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  First prototype of the Aptera solar powered EV

Other websites

Media related to Electrically-powered vehicles at Wikimedia Commons

• Race your own car Archived 2013-02-15 at the Wayback Machine