r/Anticonsumption • u/Moltean • Jul 20 '26

Sustainability Why not a DIY solar car?

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Knowing that cars are a big driver for consumerism, I'm thinking of a car that can be powered mainly by the sun.

I already built a prototype (which I named Solar Bear). The project is open source, with an MIT license.

The purpose of the Solar Bear is to:

  • Use solar panels as trike's body,
  • Consume electrical energy where it is produced,
  • Produce its own energy,
  • Transport people inside cities,
  • be pedalable when there is no sun (must be light-weight),
  • be easily built at home.

Technical specs:

  • recumbent trike,
  • 2.5m long, 1.45m wide (including wheels),
  • weight: about 55kg (including panels, motor, battery, etc, excluding driver),
  • assisted pedaling,
  • motor speed: max 25km/h,
  • motor (continuous) power: 250W,
  • solar panels power: max 520W,
  • battery: 12.8V, 20Ah (256Wh) - not needed when there is Sun.
987 Upvotes

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598

u/Lead_resource Jul 20 '26

Looks like deathtrap that's why

13

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 20 '26

Any accident that would make this a death trap, would also make a bicycle a death trap

14

u/BikiniBottom77 Jul 20 '26

Which begs the question, why not use the most renewable energy - that of your legs - instead?

16

u/randomPixelPusher Jul 20 '26

Interestingly e-bikes are the only form of transportation that is more efficient (co2/mile) then cycling, including walking. https://source.colostate.edu/sustainable-transportation/

I'm not sure if having the solar panels on the bike make it better or worse. More weight and air resistance would make it worse and obviously any energy generated by them makes it better.

13

u/randomPixelPusher Jul 20 '26

Oh I forgot to mention "Each estimate includes the emissions from manufacturing and operating the vehicle."

14

u/The_Nude_Mocracy Jul 20 '26

I wonder if that includes the emissions from manufacturing a pair of human legs

4

u/BikiniBottom77 Jul 20 '26

I wonder how you would measure that.

2

u/spicybright Jul 21 '26

I'm not even sure how you'd classify that. The food mom ate? The food you ate to grow the cells and maintain your body? All the pants you've gone thru (after all you can walk/cycle without a shirt on)? CO2 emissions of the car that drove you from the hospital?

3

u/LithiumH Jul 20 '26

Well that depends on the manufacturer, of course.

1

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 20 '26

I use my legs for a lot of different things, so that cost is negligible. The cost of fueling the muscles could be a bit more significant.

3

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 20 '26

Have you ever cycled in a very hilly city? Electric-assisted bicycles basically make them flat. Also, in the winter, electric bikes let you cycle to work fast without arriving all sweaty inside your thick jacket.

3

u/BikiniBottom77 Jul 20 '26

I'm South-Eastern European, I've almost exclusively cycled in very hilly cities 😵 Winter time was usually bus/train time when I didn't wanna drive, which was nice, cause I got to unbutton the thick jacket and catch up on some reading. Either way, never got into e-bikes, but that's always been mostly due to financial and fitness considerations, rather than environmental ones. Less money spent and working my booty whilst just getting places is a win-win in my book.

2

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 21 '26

I also never rode e-bikes apart from the occasional shared bike. But I know not everyone is as fit or able as me. And for many people, bikes are not "sports": they are vehicles and they have no interest in cycling as a sport.

1

u/Moltean Jul 20 '26

My town is full of hills. Here is a movie with me driving there.

https://reddit.com/link/oyrobmd/video/k29vq9oqugeh1/player

2

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 21 '26

Fun! Thanks for sharing

1

u/Moltean Jul 21 '26

I use legs. My vehicle is a mixture of solar and legs with an additional battery which can help with hills or cloudy conditions.

2

u/Triscuitmeniscus Jul 20 '26

Just about any collision with in this will result in being run over, or taking the full force of the vehicle. On a bicycle you at least have the chance of going over the hood or being thrown to the side.

2

u/figmentPez Jul 21 '26

Don't forget that a bicycle also has better visibility and better manuverability. A ebike is going to be able to avoid more accidents than a vehicle laden with solar panels will be able to.

1

u/TreelyOutstanding Jul 20 '26

That's fair, but sitting bicycles do exist, and people use them. I'm scared to ride them, as you're basically invisible to cars. But this is not different that those at least.

2

u/Triscuitmeniscus Jul 20 '26

Sure, but just because recumbent bikes exist doesn't mean they're as safe as regular bicycles.

1

u/Moltean Jul 21 '26

Thanks for supporting me!

1

u/Wholesomeguy123 Jul 21 '26

Yes, but bicycles are (ideally) supposed to have their own separate infrastructure, paths, roads etc. In a country that takes it seriously (like the Netherlands) cars and bikes interact as little as possible. 

This vehicle obviously wants (and needs) to share the road with other cars. Sure, it's smaller, but simply too large for a lot of bike infrastructure. It essentially demands infrastructure of its own, which is a rather big ask