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Future Cars > Future Cars Tech > Future Solar Cars > Notable Models and the Future

Notable Models and the Future


Inside This Section:

What are Solar Cars?

Notable Models and the Future

Are there current examples of solar cars?

While there are no dedicated solar cars available on the market, there are a few hybrids that operate using electric power and solar power.

• In 2007, Canadian companies Solera, Veridian and Hymotion modified a Toyota Prius hybrid with solar cells, suggesting there may be some future PV cell applications involving modified HEVs.

• The French sports car maker Venturi boasts their AstroLab as the “first commercial electro-solar hybrid”. The AstroLab is a zero-emissions vehicle that can reach 74.5 mph (120 kmh) and has a range of 68 miles (110 km). Its NiMH Venturi NIV-7 batteries recharge in motion but can also recharge using an outlet. The vehicle body is literally covered by 39 square feet of photovoltaic cells which do not need constant sunlight.

Venturi also features another electro-solar hybrid, the Venturi Eclectic


What is the future of solar cars?

In order for a dedicated solar car to become viable, the photovoltaic cells will need to become far more efficient than they currently are.

See emerging technologies for a write-up on how nanomaterials, in the form of genetically-engineered viruses, may hold the key to a vastly more efficient solar cell.

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Solar Cars Resources