For many of us, the idea of driving a car without having to fuel up at the gas pump is an ideal dream. After all, fossil fuels are finite and who knows when the next gas price spike will occur?
Learn how to build a solar powered car
I recently read a post about a student at the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore in Pakistan who built a solar powered car in less than a month.
Shown in the photograph to the left, the invention of Farrukh Kahn has been named “Solaron.” Admittedly, this solar powered car is not your typical road-ready vehicle. It has 3 wheels and was constructed with used bicycle parts and a 40 watt solar PV canopy that connects to an on-board 12 volt dry cell solar battery. But for short trips, the solar car may be just the answer to get you to your destination without having to gas up, or emit CO2.
This DIY solar project cost Khan less than $600 to construct. The solar powered car has a range of about 43 miles and can reach up to 20 mph. Admittedly, that is slow, but for local commutes and errands, it may be just the ticket to getting gas-free.
Khan has posted complete instructions to assemble the solar powered car here.
