Solar Powered Car – Idaho resident John Weber has solar powered his car, an old GEO Metro, by adding solar panels and powering his car by solar electricity.
The solar-powered car uses a large solar panel on it’s roof that converts the sunlight to DC electric current which is then stored in batteries.
The electric car then uses the solar power to turn a powerful electric motor which converts the energy to mechanical torque which then powers the transmission.
Other electrical aspects of the car all run off the solar car’s batteries. The solar car has made John Weber something of a celebrity in Idaho’s treasure Valley
“People stop me all the time. They’re like, do you really buy no gas? And I’m like ‘no, don’t buy any gas,’” said Weber.
Weber’s car is one of only a handful of solar-powered cars in the Treasure Valley and can be charged using its solar panels, or by plugging it into a power source.
Soft-spoken and quiet, John Weber says he isn’t avoiding the pump to make a statement, he was simply sick of depending on something he couldn’t control.
“I don’t like to be dependent on big global corporations to get my needs met, I like to get my needs met locally,” said Weber.
And as for the solar car, Weber says it’s not something he will depend on for long. He plans to sell the solar-powered electric car and just ride a bike.
Weber’s car was one of the alternative solar-powered electric vehicles featured at a show focused on going green – the Idaho Green Expo.
Solar-Powered Car Race Video
News video of some solar cars racing across Australia in a high-tech electric vehicle race.
And that’s the latest news on the Idaho man’s Solar Powered Car.
Tags: electric vehicle, solar car, solar power, solar powered car, solar powered cars
May 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
[...] Solar Powered Car … adding solar panels and powering his car by solar electricity. The solar-powered car uses a large solar panle on it’s roof that converts the sunlight to DC electric curent which is then stored in batteries. The electric car then [. …All The Latest News - http://a11news.com [...]
June 21st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Bravo! Imagine all the cars stuck in parking lots all day… fueling up through solar panels on their roofs while their owners toil at work. Yes, in a pinch you have the extension cord, but this is a great way to capture all the solar energy hitting that parking lot that would otherwise be wasted! (Now, if they could only put piping under the pavement in the parking lot to carry that heat into the building for their airconditioning system, *that* would be a great deal as well!)
October 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
U SUCK