The car companies are taking their sweet time to come up with alternative fuel vehicles that are affordable for the general public. We've covered this previously - DIY - Convert Your car to use Hydrogen Today, and now we bring you the story of Art Haines, who has taken it upon himself with his students to build the solar powered car for the average Joe. He's now offering the solar powered car kit that gives everyone a chance to live the dream of driving for free, causing no pollution.

The movie below shows the solar Neighborhood Electric Vehicle prototype. You can build your own car that can be driven on roads with a speed limit of less than 35 MPH (in states that have a low speed vehicle law). The car is recharged from the sun or can be plugged in. It has a top speed of 25 MPH and a range of 12 miles. It is street legal: windshield wiper, disc brakes, seat belts, turn signals and lights. It can also be use to get around campgrounds and gated communities.

This solar powered car kit will enable you to build your own street legal Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (Low Speed Vehicle). No special tools are required. The manual has exploded view drawings and step by step instructions. Telephone and email support is available during business hours. They are now taking orders for these cars to be delivered in the spring. A small deposit will reserve your kit.

The car was built using surplus and new parts, aluminum extrusions, styrofoam, wood and ABS plastic. It is very lightweight, can be 100 percent charged by the sun and suitable for the Maine climate.

Mr. Haines states "We have taken trips into town (8 miles round trip) many times, and it has proven to be a practical neighborhood electric vehicle. We are now planning to build a second-generation car with many improvements such as quieter transmission, lighter weight, less wind drag and less rolling resistance. In the spring we will offer plans and kits for purchase."

It's a great idea... not an idea for the big city - or at least not the highway. Hopefully I'll see one of these on the roads someday soon. You can find more information on the project at www.sunnev.com Be sure to take a look at our Top Solar Gadgets List and our review of Solar Powered Car Device keeps you Cool