Solar vehicles around the world (left to right, from top):
Aptera, a solar electric vehicle, California
PlanetSolar, first solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe
NASA Pathfinder, solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle, Hawaii
ELSE first solar electric railway, Hamburg
Part of a series on
Sustainable energy
Energy conservation
Arcology
Building insulation
Cogeneration
Eco hotel
Efficient energy use
Energy storage
Environmental planning
Environmental technology
Fossil fuel phase-out
Green building
Green building and wood
Heat pump
List of low-energy building techniques
Low-energy house
Microgeneration
Sustainable architecture
Sustainable city
Sustainable habitat
Sustainable refurbishment
Thermal energy storage
Tropical green building
Zero-energy building
Zero heating building
Renewable energy
Biofuel
Sustainable
Biogas
Biomass
Carbon-neutral fuel
Geothermal
Hydropower
Hydroelectricity
Marine energy
Tidal
Renewable energy transition
Renewable heat
Solar
Wave
Wind
Sustainable transport
Green vehicle
Electric vehicle
Bicycle
Solar vehicle
Wind-powered vehicle
Hybrid vehicle
Human-electric
Twike
Plug-in
Human-powered transport
Helicopter
Hydrofoil
Land vehicle
Bicycle
Cycle rickshaw
Kick scooter
Quadracycle
Tricycle
Velomobile
Roller skating
Skateboarding
Walking
Watercraft
Personal transporter
Rail transport
Tram
Rapid transit
Personal rapid transit
Category
Renewable energy portal
v
t
e
A solar vehicle or solar electric vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic (PV) cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy.
The term "solar vehicle" usually implies that solar energy is used to power all or part of a vehicle's propulsion. Solar power may also be used to provide power for communications or controls or other auxiliary functions.
Solar vehicles are not sold as practical day-to-day transportation devices at present, but are primarily demonstration vehicles and engineering exercises, often sponsored by government agencies. However, indirectly solar-charged vehicles are widespread and solar boats are available commercially.
A solarvehicle or solar electric vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic (PV)...
A solar car is a solarvehicle for use on public roads or race tracks. Solarvehicles are electric vehicles that use self-contained solar cells to provide...
commercialization Solar energy Solar lamp Solarvehicle Sustainable energy Thin-film solar cell Timeline of solar cells "Global Solar Atlas". globalsolaratlas...
Electric vehicles that operate off of solar energy and/or sunlight are commonly referred to as solar cars.[citation needed] These vehicles use solar panels...
Floating solar; water-borne solar panels Solar planes Solar-powered water purification Solar-pumped lasers SolarvehiclesSolar water heating Solar panels...
either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include...
electric vehicle), solar panel (solarvehicle) or fuel cell (fuel cell vehicle). A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines...
Solar car racing refers to competitive races of electric vehicles which are powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels on the surface of the car...
lightweight solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). As of 23 July 2010 it holds the endurance record for an unmanned aerial vehicle of over 2 weeks...
A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop...
and as photosensors. A photovoltaic system employs solar modules, each comprising a number of solar cells, which generate electrical power. PV installations...
A solar inverter or photovoltaic (PV) inverter is a type of power inverter which converts the variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic solar...
trolleybuses. Solar energy is a more modern development, and several solarvehicles have been successfully built and tested, including Helios, a solar-powered...
The Victorian Model SolarVehicle Challenge is a competition held annually at Scienceworks in Melbourne, Australia. The challenge gives school age children...
A solar lamp, also known as a solar light or solar lantern, is a lighting system composed of an LED lamp, solar panels, battery, charge controller and...
A green vehicle, clean vehicle, eco-friendly vehicle or environmentally friendly vehicle is a road motor vehicle that produces less harmful impacts to...
with solar-powered air conditioning. A self-contained solarvehicle would have limited power and utility, but a solar-charged electric vehicle allows...
South Australia. The event was created to foster the development of solar-powered vehicles. The WSC attracts teams from around the world, most of which are...
the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solar cells. Solar cells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically...
The University of Texas SolarVehicles Team (UTSVT) is a student-driven effort to design, build, test, and race solarvehicles for the purpose of reinforcing...
ever-evolving technologies. Solar energy technologies include solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity and solar architecture. These can...
"solar bus" normally implies that solar energy is used not only for powering electric equipment on the bus, but also for the propulsion of the vehicle...
Solar cell phone chargers use solar panels to charge cell phone batteries. They can be used when no electricity supply is available—either mains or, for...
vehicle. Yet another key metric is cost (dollars per watt). To increase the specific power, typical solar panels on spacecraft use close-packed solar...
Hybrid Vehicle - vehicle drives on human power or electrical energy from any other source. SEV - Solar Electric Vehicle - vehicle largely drives on solar energy...