Solar-Mobility is the open community for solar-powered e-bikes, trikes, campers and everything else that moves on sunlight. Browse real builds, share yours, go further.
Community builds
Planes Solar Impulse 2 – Flying Around the World on Sunlight A revolutionary step in solar-powered aviation, Solar Impulse 2 (HB-SIB) represents the perfect balance between lightweight design, advanced batteries, and clean solar energy. Solar Impulse 2… 
3 Wheels XOF1 – Marcelo da Luz’s Solar Car to the Arctic Ocean This is one of our favourite stories, because it was not built by a car company or a university. Marcelo da Luz, a Brazilian-born former flight… 
5+ Wheels Byron Bay Solar Train – The First Solar-Powered Passenger Train Solar mobility is not only about bikes and cars. In Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, a beautifully restored vintage train runs along the coast powered… 
Boats FährBär – Berlin’s Solar Ferries In Berlin you can take a solar ferry with a normal public transport ticket. Since 2014 four catamarans called FährBär ("ferry bear") have been crossing the… 
Boats Galilée & Copernic – La Rochelle’s Solar Sea Buses In La Rochelle on France's Atlantic coast, the bus sometimes floats. Since May 2009 the city's public transport network has run a "Bus de mer" (sea… 
4 Wheels Stella Vita – A Solar-Powered House on Wheels If you have ever dreamed of a solar camper, this is the vehicle to look at. Solar Team Eindhoven is famous for its solar family cars… 
2 Wheels Jean Cave – Solar Bike on The Sun Trip 2020 Jean Cave (France) took part in Sun Trip France 2020, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar bike. Jean… 
3 Wheels · Trailer Juergen Burkholz – Solar Velomobile on The Sun Trip 2018 Juergen Burkholz (Germany) took part in The Sun Trip 2018, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar velomobile. The… 
2 Wheels Rain & Ryan – Solar Bike on The Sun Trip 2019 Rain & Ryan took part in Sun Trip Tour 2019, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar bike. Ryan,… How it works
The guide · preorder
Everything you need to build your own solar-powered e-bike: choosing panels, wiring, charge controllers and batteries, explained step by step by the community.
Solar charging, explained
Solar e-bikes, pedelecs, trikes and campers all work on the same idea: a solar panel turns daylight into electricity, a charge controller feeds it safely into the battery, and every hour of sun adds range.
A pedelec only assists while you pedal (in the EU up to 25 km/h and 250 W); most people simply call it an e-bike. A solar e-bike either carries its own solar panel on the bike, the rack or a trailer, or it is a normal electric bike charged with solar power at home. Both ride on sunshine instead of the grid.
For a typical 36 V or 48 V e-bike battery, plan on a 100–200 W solar panel. Either the panel charges the battery directly through an MPPT charge controller with a boost converter, or it fills a small power station and you plug in your normal charger. In full summer sun, a 400–500 Wh battery is full in about a day.
Range depends on capacity in watt-hours (Wh): a pedelec uses roughly 7–15 Wh per kilometre, depending on terrain and assist level. Most e-bike batteries are lithium-ion (NMC); for campers, trikes and trailers many solar builders prefer LiFePO4, which is safer, lasts thousands of cycles and copes well with daily partial charging. Keep the battery cool and never charge a damaged pack.
Lightweight flexible solar panels fit racks, cargo bikes and trike roofs; rigid glass panels give more watts per euro on a solar bike trailer or a camper. Rule of thumb: in good sun, every 100 W of panel adds around 20–40 km of assisted riding per day.
On adventures like the Sun Trip, riders often cover more than 100 km a day on solar power alone: the panel charges while you ride and during breaks, so the battery rarely runs empty. The real gain is independence from sockets – at the campsite, on the mountain pass and on long days off-grid.
Most builds in this community are DIY: a standard e-bike or a conversion kit, a 100–300 W panel, an MPPT controller matched to the battery voltage, fuses and good connectors. Our guide Ride on Sunshine walks you through panels, wiring, charge controllers and batteries step by step.
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Bon voyage
A community of riders and tinkerers driven by a single mission: maximising range through solar energy. From Europe to every continent.
The open community for solar-powered e-bikes, trikes, campers and everything else that moves on sunlight. Browse real builds, share yours, go further.
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