Ever thought about building your own electric powered car that runs entirely on the power of the sun? It's the ultimate clean transportation solution and I've been curious about it myself so did a bit of digging around.
One company I found called SUNN EV offers a do it yourself kit with the total cost of components costing around $5K and has around a 30 mile range. Of course, it's no speed demon topping out at around 25mph. The car was designed by Art Haines with the help of high school students in Maine. Very cool!
This is one of the few solar electric power car kits I've been able to find.. check it out! Good luck with the business Art!
Here's a pic of the pickup:
A nice video on YouTube as well:
Filed under Electric Cars by on Jun 12th, 2008. Comment. 
The element of the lithium ion battery is the technology that will shape the future of the electric car in terms of distance performance and we are just at the beginning stages of what's possible. Lithium is the lightest of all the metals and often used in heat transfer applications, as an alloying agent agent and is often added to glasses and ceramics. The high electrochemical potential makes useful for in batteries.
Nissan just announced they will build a factory with NEC to make the lithium batteries for use in electric cars. The new battery they are developing is expected to be half the size of a nickel hydride battery while having twice the power, but lithium can be unstable so there are safety concerns that need to be worked out.
In the WSJ, head of Nissan research said that by 2015, lithium ion batteries will increase the range of electric vehicles to 250 miles on one charge. Current lithium batteries only offer a range of a quarter of that but about every two years those ranges are expected to nearly double.. ah there's the 'ol Murphy's Law kicking in again!
Toyota has announced a partnership of its own to develop the battery with Matsushita Elecetrical and the battery is expected to power the first plug in hybrid Toyota in 2010.
Filed under Lithium Ion Battery by on Jun 13th, 2008. Comment.
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