Build your own street-legal solar-powered electric car

Almost every solar-powered car we've seen has been incredibly goofy-looking, but we'd bet we could learn to overlook external appearances if we had a sunshine whip to call our own -- especially if we had to build it ourselves as well. That's the promise behind Art Haines' SUNN solar car kit, which'll let you build your very own DOT-approved electric car using only standard hand tools. Completed, the car can hit 35MPH and has a range of 20 miles before the batteries give out and you've got to take a little solar siesta (or find a plug outlet.) Five of the kits have already been sold, including a new pickup-style version, but you'll need time and some extra cash on hand before you go electro-cruising: the kit itself costs $4,500, not including batteries or solar panels. Video of the original project after the break.

[Via Autoblog Green]

[snowglyder @ Mar 19th 2008 5:54PM]

What's the safety rating?

[a ham sandwich @ Mar 19th 2008 7:14PM]

nilay, if every solar car you've ever seen is ugly, clearly you haven't seen the michigan solar car team's car. its AWESOME! but then again, im biased because im a member of the team!


umsolar.com

[Chris @ Mar 19th 2008 9:30PM]

I'm sure if you get hit in this thing they will be cleaning your remains off the
road and the other guys car with a sharp stick and a wet sponge.

This thing is a backyard creation. For $4500 you can buy a nice looking and
much safer golf cart and toss a few solar panels on its roof.

[wunch @ Mar 20th 2008 1:22PM]

This vehicle doesn't fall under the standard vehicle rules because it falls into the "light electric vehicle" category. For everyone complaining about the speed, it's limited for a reason: to qualify in that class, the vehicle must be limited to a top speed of 25 mph (Engadget has it wrong, see the SUNN site) and must stay on streets where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.

The whole point is to be an efficient local commuter car, to get to grocery and back, for example, so you don't have to waste a gallon of gas just to pick up bananas.

[Esat @ Mar 19th 2008 5:55PM]

Pfft, thats nothing. I have a car that's run by my own sense of self-satisfaction.

Sometimes I manage to get to 0.5mph top speed.


But most of the time it's stuck in reverse.

:(

[Dustin @ Mar 20th 2008 3:17AM]

That's stupid, Mercedes and Lexus engines have run on smug for years

[Jhongerkong @ Mar 19th 2008 6:00PM]

Imagine the chicks you could pick up with this...

[Esat @ Mar 19th 2008 6:03PM]

I imagined. And it was not good.

http://hometown.aol.com/rufflife3628127/images/ugly%20girl.jpg

[Aguiluz @ Mar 19th 2008 6:16PM]

@Esat:

EEK! I fell out of my seat! I mean, WTF is that!?!

[spacegravity4me @ Mar 19th 2008 6:19PM]

AGHHHHHH AGHH AHHHHHHHHG AHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHH Ahg agh agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are NOT allowed to imagine anymore!!!

[Jarhead2012 @ Mar 19th 2008 7:11PM]

Lol, it's from the Schfifty-Five video. IDK if that's what it's originally from, but I loled. Haha

[Perrey Z. @ Mar 19th 2008 9:22PM]

Can I get some 22's on it ala Cadillac Escalade?

[surfwax95 @ Mar 19th 2008 6:18PM]

...but seriously, imagine if one of the larger car companies took this project and ran with it.

I'd be willing to pay upwards of $35k for a completely solar/electric car.

Literally the only things I would want more of out of this vehicle is range and speed. Not too much more, though. 60MPH top speed would be fine for me and the range would be fine at 100 miles max.

Surely a large car company could do something like this and make it profitable and economical.

[Ignatius @ Mar 19th 2008 6:34PM]

There is the VentureOne, however, it does not have solar capabilities planned at the moment.

http://www.flytheroad.com/ if you want to check it out. They are planning on an April 2009 release in California with 1,000 vehicles for the first run.

[whatishalo? @ Mar 19th 2008 6:16PM]

Wow, that is just FUGLY

[whatishalo? @ Mar 19th 2008 6:21PM]

But look at the bright side. Golfers no longer have to swap thier clubs to a cart...they can just drive from home right up onto the course and then back home!

[LiqwidZero @ Mar 19th 2008 6:21PM]

$4,500 for an electric car that can only take me 20 miles at, approximately, 35mph. Or... a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster for about $7,150 that gets 60mpg?

I'll take the Harley.

[phanbouy @ Mar 19th 2008 6:27PM]

uhhhhh........?

[Mikey @ Mar 19th 2008 6:31PM]

While bikes do sip fuel, I think this is more touting the use of solar power. Besides, the ecological footprint of that bike encompasses more than just fuel. Think about the oil changes too.

I do agree that I'll need a higher top speed and longer range before I sink my money into it.

[Bob Sintas @ Mar 19th 2008 7:18PM]

it costs a lot more than $4,500: "the kit itself costs $4,500, not including batteries or solar panels"

[hello @ Mar 19th 2008 6:34PM]

are u hungry?

[aeo @ Mar 19th 2008 6:53PM]

Great for the environment! Bad for your your sex life!

[HighTeckRedNeck @ Mar 19th 2008 7:12PM]

This'd be a fun project, but the car's not worth it. Too expensive for what it is ... $4500 + $5000 for the batteries + $2000 for the solar panel gives you an ugly golf cart for $11,500.

[Steve A. @ Mar 19th 2008 7:38PM]

Wow, $5,000 of batteries? We bought $3,500 in batteries for our work's huge solar powered UPS. In total, the 10 batteries weigh 2,000 lbs and give 4900 amp hours of power. Enough to power most of the office (30 workstations) for several weeks. Also, a high end solar panel costs $1000 max.

It's pretty obvious you made up all your numbers.

[Casper42 @ Mar 20th 2008 12:12AM]

Steve A is right.

Deep Cycle Battery - 12V - 110Ah - $170 x 3
http://solardyne.stores.yahoo.net/trojdeepcycb2.html

Hood - 55 Watt PV Panel - $350
http://www.solarhome.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2089

Roof - 150 Watt PV Panel - $720
http://www.solarhome.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2098

So $510 for Batteries and $1100 (1 roof) or $1800 (2 roof) for the PV Panels
Thats between $1600 and $2500 in extras depending on how you configure the PV Panels. And those prices were found on Google in 5 minutes, you might do better if you look harder.


I researched Electric Conversions a while ago and the Motor is usually the most costly piece.

[Casper42 @ Mar 20th 2008 12:13AM]

PS: Specs for Batteries and PV Panels came right from the guy's website FYI
http://www.sunnev.com/proto.htm

[dzhiurgis @ Mar 19th 2008 7:29PM]

I'm sticking with my model T.

[andres @ Mar 20th 2008 2:56AM]

wait for my cars boiler to warm up and ill join you to

[opus67 @ Mar 19th 2008 7:30PM]

How is this DOT approved? Top speed is 35 but how long does it take to get there? I would be genuinely interested but am quite incredulous.

[trevor @ Mar 20th 2008 1:02AM]

Hey, stranger things have been christened as "street-legal". Check out the street-legal recliner:

http://www.visi.com/~sandhoff/Bark.htm

Whip up a solar-powered version of that, and I'm sold!

[Ian @ Mar 19th 2008 8:04PM]

Look at 10:01 Prius vs. their car

[Joshua Walters @ Mar 19th 2008 8:34PM]

35mph?

That kills it right there.

Unless you in the heart of downtown, or a residential neighborhood, speed limits are 40+ here.

[Someguy @ Mar 19th 2008 9:30PM]

I can only see it useful for farmers or field workers. They drive out to the place they want to work, work on it while the sun charges it, and then drive back home. It could also be useful to get to the local mini-mart, provided you have one close by. I would imagine as the batteries get better, we can probably start getting 30, 40, and 50 miles per charge.

My only concern is the safety and the duration of charge off solar power.

[bart @ Mar 20th 2008 8:57AM]

look at the auto called aptera--to see what new technology looks like--could always be plugged into a solar charger--it's already electric

[Niralisherni @ Mar 20th 2008 1:34AM]

I am not much of a DIY person, so i would always prefer to go and buy something instead of assembling it myself. I know it WILL go to pieces the minute i try it. but it is a good initiative nevertheless and all the best to anyone who tries to make up the solar car by him or herself.

If you are like me however, you may want to check out some of the really nice electric powered vehicles at http://www.zapworld.com, especially their NEVs at http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/offroad-ev which will give you about the same utility as this one.

[Chris Taylor @ Mar 20th 2008 3:19AM]

You forget people this is home made with NON ideal batteries (the proper batteries are illegal for you to own sooo (search chevron and nimh patent)

For around $6k you can get all the parts needed for a full speed normal electric car conversion. The problem is batteries. THEY are the only reason these things have limited range.

This car is odd with 110amp hours (or 55 amp hours going below 50% kills leads) I would have expected a lot more than 20 miles range. I am guessing the low voltage (36volts) system is what is killing the range. If they upped it to 72 volts I bet they could tripple the range and up the speed a bit. Not too sure on that but it seems odd that it can only go 20 miles)

Keep in mind that $6k cost I mentioned is for NICH cottage industry non mass produced parts. The parts total for an EV conversion would easily go under $1k if they were mass produced. There very simply cheap to build parts. Manufacturers just straight up refuse to make an electric car. This keeps the prices very high and with the nimh patent lock by chevron (can not wait till 2015 when it expires) keeps the range low :-(

If the patent were released and companies were permitted to make the batteries for EV usage we could have UNDER $10,000 100+ mile range 80+mph Electric cars on the road in 1-2 years. GM already did it over 10 years ago (go look up a film called "Who Killed The Electric Car")

They sold the CRITICAL component (batteries) to texaco and a week later chevron bought texaco. Since chevron maintains VETO privileges for any License of the Nimh technology and will not permit EV usage or any usage that MIGHT be EV usable.

OH and screw the solar panels. cost to drive an EV is about $1 per 100 miles driven using GRID power. Yeah a full charge would cost less than $2 you can not even buy a single gallon of gasoline for that much. (this is with NIMH batteries)

I spend more money in 3.5 weeks on gasoline than I would spend in an entire year of electrical usage charging an electric car. Better to pay $1600 for a grid tie in and put that solar panel on your roof where it can generate good power all day that you sell back to the utility to offset the cost of charging your car.

Oh and built right they are virtually maintenance free and virtually everlasting (thats why GM killed them)

Oil is why Chevron refuses to license the battery patent. Sadly its a controlling patent so no one else can make similar batteries without violating the patent.

[sirius @ Mar 20th 2008 6:32AM]

Umm.. congrats.. This is officially THE UGLIEST.. errmmm.. car? I've ever seen !!

Next time somebody posts something like that please hide pics and add "Contains explicit content!"

[rcappo @ Mar 20th 2008 3:28PM]

And for $6000 you can get a normal looking pickup truck. With batteries.
http://ecomodder.com/blog/2008/01/26/16-year-old-builds-electric-pickup-truck/

I'm going to be doing that project in 6 months. I could always add a cover to the truck bed and attach solar panels.

[BLogsOfSteel @ Mar 20th 2008 12:01PM]

Some key words in this video that seem to be missed are, Hobby and Community Service. Here is a nice guy with an idea to get local school kids involved, who also happens to have an awesome machine shop.

He wanted a car to take him to town & back, no doubt he could have whipped it up himself, but decided to get kids involved. Bravo! Sure beats making ashtrays in wood shop class.

Are there better electric cars out there, sure but that's not the point....

[blackfeather @ Mar 20th 2008 1:54PM]

What? No airbags?!?

[Clark H. @ Mar 23rd 2008 1:09AM]

For $4500 bucks, I better be getting some honest-to-God tires, instead of some bike wheels. What, exactly, would that cost cover? No solar panels? No batteries? Why the hell would I buy it then!?

[Dapo @ Mar 30th 2008 6:46PM]

hello, cant everyone just sit and think. if you are not a DIY person, how about people that crack theirbrains to get it done. i feel it's a good idea and could be better if worked on.. can someone give me some explanations on this. my email is [e-mail].
Dapo

[Kate @ Apr 18th 2008 3:05PM]

I live near the equator and my island is 20 miles long. We pay $1.5 per litre of gas. That's like $6.00 a gallon. I would love to build one of these but don't have the knowledge. Who has tried building it and got it to work?

[Johan S @ Apr 26th 2008 3:36PM]

Energy savings by reducing wind resistance was clearly not a concern.

[turkeydinner @ Apr 26th 2008 8:17PM]

Yeah. I'd imagine the range would be cut in half with a 10mph headwind. You'd also think they'd put panels all over it and not just on the roof and hood.

I'd be scared to death in that thing over 35mph anyway. Why doesn't someone just take one of those solar racers and make it more practical for daily life?

I'm sure it isn't easy getting something through DOT but come on... that thing is VERY simple. It looks like it'd be worth it if it came fully equiped with the electro gear,