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FIRST SOLAR POWERED CAR

Ed Passerini's "Bluebird" 1977

Probably the first, totally solar-powered car, the "Bluebird," was built by Ed Passerini, in 1977. Mr. Passerini has also built several other small, lightweight, and relatively low-cost (under $10,000) solar cars. 

At the other end of the spectrum, are solar cars equipped with advanced technology and built with the backing of large automobile manufacturers, including General Motors, Ford, and Honda. 

Some early solar cars used silver-zinc batteries, which have several advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries: being lighter, more efficient and accept higher rates of charge.  However, they are very expensive, and may only be charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before they become unusable and require recycling.  The latest polymer cells are also expensive, but may be cycled many more times. 

Most developers use crystalline silicon cells in their solar panels designs.  General Motors (GM) used the higher efficiency gallium arsenide cells for their Sunraycer solar car.  Sunraycer has 8.4 square meters of 90 square feet of curved solar array integrated into the tear-dropped shaped body of the car. GM spent $8 million developing the Sunraycer.

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