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
2 Wheels Sola.Bike 2 person bike with solar roof This solar e-bike was built with a clear mission: to minimize plastic use while maintaining durability and everyday practicality. The main frame is made from steel,… 
Boats Neckarsonne – Heidelberg’s Big Solar Catamaran Heidelberg is one of Germany's most romantic cities: the castle ruins, the old bridge, the river Neckar. And since 2004 visitors can see it all from… 
3 Wheels Aptera – The Car That Drinks Sunlight Aptera isn’t just another electric car — it’s a completely reimagined way of moving. Sleek, aerodynamic, and almost alien-looking, it’s the kind of vehicle that makes… 
Planes Elektra One Solar – A Light Aircraft with Solar Wings Most solar aircraft on our site are giant experimental wings like Helios or Solar Impulse. The Elektra One is different: a small, single-seat sport aircraft that… 
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… 
Trailer the Tin Tent by David Humbert All solar electric live aboard converted cargo trailer that I lived out of for 1½ years. 740 watts of solar panels, with a 4,692 wh 24v… 
Boats Aditya – India’s First Solar Ferry Every day since January 2017, a quiet blue-and-white catamaran has shuttled villagers, students and commuters across Vembanad Lake in Kerala. Aditya was India's first solar-powered ferry,… 
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… 
4 Wheels The Big Lemon – The UK’s First Solar-Powered Bus The Big Lemon is not a normal bus company. It was founded in Brighton in 2007 by Tom Druitt and his childhood friend Graeme Simpson as… 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. Here is the short version.
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.
Community merch
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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