Build Your Own Solar-Powered Car

With gas prices climbing ever higher and all the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels (pollution, rising greenhouse gas levels), it's tempting to consider building a solar car that will get you from here to there petroleum- and carbon dioxide-free.

While you might not have seen any on your neighborhood streets yet, solar cars have been around in various shapes and styles for the past couple of decades. Solar-car designers annually race 3,000 kilometers across Australia in the World Solar Challenge and the North American Solar Challenge to be held this July pits design teams from different universities in a 2,400-mile tour from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.

One intrepid solar-vehicle proponent is even making a trip around the world powered only by the sun. On the road since last July, the Swiss Louis Palmer and his international support team recently reached Singapore in the so-called Solartaxi.

If you've got the bucks, you could wait to buy a commercial-model solar vehicle. The Venturi Astrolab, tentatively set to hit the market this year, is getting some decent advance publicity ... although the reported $117,000 price-tag makes it unlikely to appeal to the budget-conscious.

So what are your options if you'd like your own solar car but don't have a hundred grand or so to spare? Consider some of the following resources:

OK, it won't be big enough to carry you, but building a model-sized solar car might be a good first project to tackle before taking on the real thing. Re-Energy.ca provides an easy-to-follow instruction guide for building your own miniature sun-powered vehicle. You can find all the parts you need in a single kit by checking out one of the solar energy project kits available through SunWind.