Carro del Sol — Spanish for chariot of the sun
A solar-powered vehicle with no battery.
Carro Del Sol is a personal mobility vehicle that runs on sunlight alone, using a supercapacitor to bridge brief moments of shade.
How it worksThe basic idea
How it works
Solar panels power the motor directly
Photovoltaic panels on the vehicle's surface feed electricity through a maximum power point tracker (MPPT), which extracts as much power as possible from the panels regardless of conditions. From there, power goes to the motor controller and a supercapacitor, which are wired in parallel — the motor runs directly from the panels while the supercapacitor stays ready to fill in.
A supercapacitor handles brief shade
When the vehicle passes under a tree or a cloud, a small supercapacitor releases its charge to keep things moving. It recharges in seconds once sunlight returns.
It runs as long as the sun is up
There is no stored energy to run out. The vehicle moves when there is sunlight, and stops when there isn't. That's the whole system.
About the project
A working experiment, not a product.
Carro Del Sol is a research project. The question it's exploring is simple: can a small personal vehicle run on solar power alone, without any battery storage?
The answer, so far, is yes — with some caveats. This site documents the idea, the approach, and what's been learned.
Questions or thoughts?
If you're curious about the project or want to discuss the idea, feel free to get in touch.