Solar Cars – from dream to reality

For years, the idea that a car could be powered directly by sunlight has been suggested as a future possibility.  Universities have built solar powered racers – small, ultra-lightweight and cramped vehicles built with bicycle parts, but a practical car has remained a myth.  Until now.

In France, Venturi – a specialist sports car manufacturer – have been developing a brand new three seater city car that can be purely powered by sunlight.  Meanwhile, in India, electric car manufacturer Reva have been demonstrating a solar powered version of their four seat city car.

Venturi say they will have their car in production and available for sale by the end of 2009.

Both cars are electric cars designed for inner city use.  The solar panels fitted on the roof charge the batteries and provide a solar-only charge of up to 5 miles (8 km) a day.  The range can be increased by plugging the car into an electrical mains socket if necessary.

Whilst the solar range may not seem much, there are many drivers who only ever use their cars for short journeys and who only use their cars once or twice a week.  For these people, a solar car now has the potential to provide these people with transport entirely powered by the sun.

For obvious reasons, these solar cars are best suited to sunny climates.  However, even in colder climates, solar powered cars may have a future: the batteries in an electric car benefit from being constantly trickle charged when not in use in order to maintain their internal temperature – so even in winter, solar power has the potential to significantly increase the range of an electric car by maintaining the temperature of the batteries when the car is not in use.

With the ongoing development of electric cars and the advancement of solar panels with better capacities and lower costs, it may not be that long before solar electric cars can become a common sight on our roads.