We are probably a long ways from having a fully solar powered car. But solar enhanced automobiles emphatically have a place in the near future. For example, Toyota's Prius has an optional solar panel that powers it's ventilation system totally on its own power. You know how when you leave you car too long in the sun on a hot sunny day how hot the interior is when you first sit down?
The purpose of the ventilation system is to help cool off the parked car on those hot sunny days. You can start the fan by remote control before you reach the car. This starts the cooling off of the car before you even get in. As a result, once you start the car, the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard to bring the temperatures down to a comfortable level. This process saves energy all around.
Solar power is not the only alternative energy source on the horizon, however. Other, hydro-electricity is another up and coming technology that is capable of being used to power cars, van, and trucks.
Solar cars work by converting sunlight directly into electricity. Technology has already advanced far enough to be able to guide the development of solar powered golf carts and bicycles. In fact the first solar cars were actually bicycles called solarmobiles. Solar powered cars are a ways off, however, as the surface area of the car severely limits the amount of electricity that can be generated from the sun.
Solar powered cars get their energy straight from the sun via photovoltaic panels. But the panels in the new electric cars are not yet powerful and efficient enough to power a vehicle as big as an electric car for long distances. The limitation is the small amount of available space on a car to hold the solar panels. The solar power panels can, however, supplement the primary means of powering the car whether it's electric, gas, or hydrogen powered.
Owning a car wholly powered by solar energy is a dream even though it is one that most likely won't come to fruition until many years.
Many believe that instead of attempting to create a fully solar powered car that time is better spent developing an electric car and merely use solar power to generate electricity to power the electric car's battery.
The thought is that smart grid technology will enable electric cars to be recharged during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper. The other alternative is that the car will be recharged at any time using solar generated power.
Some forward looking companies are not waiting for the future to arrive. They have begun the process of manufacturing solar carports. These are fully solar powered structures that allow you to plug in your electric car and recharge it for later usage. The excess electricity that it generates can be used to provide supplemental electricity for your home.
Even though, to date, Toyota is the largest auto maker to produce a car with built-in solar power capabilities, you can be sure that more are on the horizon.