What It's Like To Drive A Solar-Powered Car

We made it the the Bay Area, home of Silicon Valley, to see the car of the future, as the Bay thought it up. What we found with Cal Solar's team car at UC Berkeley was a little different.
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Drive free or die!

[power-max]

We (the UVa solar car team: Just starting out) went to FSGP 2K17 and saw Berkeley win! We tagged along with them to learn about the logistics of the competition and it just so happened they won as well! Zefer is their older car, they are working on a new one. Sounds like an NGM motor!

[ChrisTheGregory]

This started out as an episode of _Jason Drives_ but they had to switch it around because this is Youtube and "Jason Strips, Gets His Nude Body Slathered With Butter, and Almost Fits Into a Solar Car" wouldn't work.

[cmecau]

They have been running solar car challenges for about 30 years between Darwin and Adelaide, Australia, about 3000 km (1900 miles) . In the 80s I passed a solar car near Port Pirie, SA. It was going between 90 and 100 km/h (55 and 60 mph). I was impressed.

[incognitotorpedo]

A Model S charged from a solar array is also a solar powered car and it's a hell of a lot more comfortable. And fast.

[KraussEMUS]

I built a solar powered vehicle in the 90s that I used to drive around Sacramento CA. I would park it in the sun all day and then there was enough charge in the batteries to drive it about 4 miles daily. It was really a recumbent electric bike with a neat looking shell on it. Back then it was pretty inexpensive, but I'll bet it could be done at even lower cost now with much better range.

[bummeroni]

I thought this was an episode of Jason Drives for a second there

[amigodesigns]

You should check a FSAE team, you will be amazed

[spencerali]

That is the loudest electric car I've ever heard

[bigghoss]

Take something like a Chevy volt, an electric car that also has an on board generator to charge the batteries, and then incorperate soloar panels. The soloar panels wouldn't do as much good as on a car designed to be soloar powered but it'll at least offset some fossil fuel consumption.

[sharptoothtrex]

Now that is the kind of car I want to drive.

[SuperLiktor]

Dear Jalopnik, if you make a video about something interesting, give it to Jason, thanks.

[macberry]

I'm curious to know if there's any 3d printed parts

[gqh]

Whinier than straight cut gears in the car

[stSilence]

You guys ever heard of the SION from Sono Motors?

[BSAElectronics]

Sounds like they must be running the same tires my kids Power Wheels vehicle runs, hallow hard plastic 😁

[theirishaxe]

First he says it does 80mph then he says he doesn't go fast at all so which is it?

[christopherashby]

Definitely think there's potential for solar surfaces to be integrated into future hybrids and electrics. You could at least pick up a few miles of range a day

[faith]

me and the boys bulding a solder-powered car

[hugobarrientos]

And how much would it cost to buy a "solar-powered" car?
The carbon footprint in order to make a solar-powered car?

I want to know

[GordonChaffin]

I thought "solar-powered plant" was a photosynthesis joke.