Cheap Solar-Powered Car Introduced in China

We’ve reported before on the popularity of solar energy used in water heaters in China and now we see this trend moving to the development of solar-powered cars.  This month, a low-cost, solar-driven mini car was introduced at the Zhejiang International Bicycles and Electric-powered Cars Exhibition.

The car is built by Zhejiang’s 001 Group and they have produced more than 10 prototype mini cars that integrate solar panels on their roofs.  The car needs to charge for 30 hours in order to have enough energy to travel 150 kilometers and will only go 5 kilometers if left to charge for an hour.  According to one of the company’s engineers, the car can absorb 95 percent of the solar rays it takes in, with only 14 to 17 percent of that energy actually turned into electricity.

The reported price for each car is only 38,000 RMB (US$ 5,560) and could be a feasible option as long as there is plenty of time to charge up between drives.

[via Gasgoo]