The Icarus Projects
Innovation & Tech Today|Volume 9 / Issue 1
Car Start-Ups Drawn to the Sun
Michael Coates 
The Icarus Projects

It seems like the logical step. If running a car on electricity is good, shouldn’t running it on solar-generated electricity be even better? If solar power is better, wouldn’t using solar power generated on the car be the best? If a car can generate its own electricity, doesn’t it become a kind of virtuous perpetual motion machine?

That’s the thinking that’s driven the Solar Challenge, where odd-looking machines built by college students and covered in solar cells (and not much else) race across a sunny highway to claim high-efficiency honors. It’s now spread beyond that to would-be automakers who want to extend the concept into a functional car. Needless to say, the solar challenge vehicles are science projects masquerading as a way to transport a human being.

The goal is noble; the execution, so far, has seemed to fall somewhat short of the aspiration. Here are three examples of current projects chasing the solar-powered car concept. Note that all three are struggling as the reality of creating, producing, and marketing this kind of automobile seems to lead to some singed ambitions.

Sono Sion

This story is from the Volume 9 / Issue 1 edition of Innovation & Tech Today.

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This story is from the Volume 9 / Issue 1 edition of Innovation & Tech Today.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.