U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Roofus' Solar and Efficient Home

Solar Car

Illustration of Roofus, a golden retriever, sitting in a solar car, which is dome-shaped and has a small compartment for the driver.

Almost all cars today use gasoline, but my car runs on the sun. Solar cells on the flat part of the car turn sunlight into electricity. A battery in the car stores the electricity, just like a gas tank stores gasoline in a car. As I drive down the road, I slowly use up the stored electricity. When I run low, I don't need to go to a gas station, I just park my car in the sun!

Solar cars make almost no noise at all as they run. They make just a quiet hum. And they don't make any smoke or bad smells. If everybody drove solar cars, our cities would have a lot cleaner air.

Photo of two boys kneeling on the ground, getting ready to race a small solar car.

These boys are racing a solar car they built from scratch.

You can build toy solar cars and other toys that make electricity from the sun. Look for solar toys in electronics stores or toy stores, or you can order them from scientific supply catalogs. These toys use small solar cells to make electricity, so they don't need batteries!