How to: Build a Fuel-Less, Solar-Powered Vehicle

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 05.17.06
Science & Technology (solar)

solarvehicles.jpg

TreeHugger has recently covered the Solar Sailor and solar-powered electric bike, but we've never seen anything quite like this. For the serious DIYer, SolarVehicles.org offers info, resources, advice and even blueprints for building your own solar-powered vehicle. Most of the models are somewhere between a scooter and a golf cart, and, according to the pictures on the site, they even work! It may not be the kind of thing you'd want to take on the highway or even a busy street, but they seem perfect for putting around town. Once built, the three and four-wheeled vehicles go between 25 and 40 km/h (about 15 to 25 mph) depending on the load/cargo and grade of the road. The site has all the info you'll need to build your own, from wheels to solar cells to frames, so you can get yourself around using the power of the sun. ::Solar Vehicles

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Comments (5)

... umm check out the vid Solar Knight... He's a passionate guy, and also an alien... I like his style.

jump to top MY says:

He IS the little green man.

But still, these things are simple, cheap and they work!

jump to top Carl [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

I love the concept, but they're so darned UGLY. No sense of graceful line at all. I'm sure they could be improved in that department though.

jump to top Sam I Am says:

What's the matter with a bicycle? It goes the same speed also.

jump to top CKE says:

I love bikes. I ride mine everywhere, but I realize that not everyone is going to do the same. Maybe this sort of thing is the answer for some of those people.

jump to top Rob says:

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