Get your kids hooked on solar energy early with this build-it-yourself car (then they can graduate to the Alternative Energy Play House). The shell comes in clear, a la Early American iMac, or you can paint it like they’ve done here. It can run off of the solar panel or batteries (we’d choose rechargeable, of course), and the panel, front steerable axle, and rear wheel can all be removed and used in other projects. The kids can build the set into a tractor if they’re feeling more Young Farmers than NASCAR. Looks like you might even be able to give action figures (or Barbie?) an eco-chic ride by sticking them in that sunken bit in front of the solar panel. Our only further wish is a remote control to provide hours of driving-into-adults’-ankles fun, but that would probably just mean more batteries. $40 USD, or on sale for $28.90 at Gibson Tech Ed. ::OWI [by KK]

The Last Mile personal transport

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