Solar cars depend on PV cells to convert sunlight into electricity to drive electric motors. Unlike solar thermal energy which converts solar energy to heat, PV cells directly convert sunlight into electricity.[1]
Solar cars combine technology typically used in the aerospace, bicycle, alternative energy and automotive industries. The design of a solar car is severely limited by the amount of energy input into the car. Solar cars are built for solar car races or daily usage on public roads List of solar cars (with homologation). Even the best solar cells can only collect limited power and energy over the area of a car's surface. This limits solar cars to ultralight composite bodies to save weight. Solar cars lack the safety and convenience features of conventional vehicles.