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
2 Wheels
Silvia & Christophe – Solar Bike on The Sun Trip 2019
Silvia & Christophe took part in Sun Trip Tour 2019, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar bike. Silvia…
3 Wheels
Vivien Dettwiler – A Solar Cabin Bike You Can Sleep In
Vivien Olivier Dettwiler lives in the Tafeljura south of Basel and works on electromobility projects. "Efficiency and sufficiency are always my top priority." His prototype is…
5+ Wheels
Sojourner – The First Solar Rover on Mars
Today's Mars rovers are the size of cars. The first one was the size of a microwave oven. Sojourner, built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, landed…
3 Wheels · Trailer
Patrice Gardin – Solar Trike on The Sun Trip 2026
Patrice Gardin (France) took part in Sun Trip Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar trike. Patrice…
2 Wheels · Trailer
Laurent Souchet – Solar Bike on The Sun Trip 2018
Laurent Souchet (France) took part in The Sun Trip 2018, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar bike. Laurent…
4 Wheels
Solar Buzz – A DIY Solar Bus for a Small Town
This might be the most Solar-Mobility story of all: one person, a second-hand vehicle and a lot of determination. In 2011, Kim Audette of Truth or…
Boats
SolarWave – A Solar Yacht with Four Cabins
Many sailors know the problem: you anchor in the most beautiful, quiet bay, and in the evening someone starts a diesel generator to charge the batteries.…
Planes
Solar Riser – The First Human Flight on Solar Power (1979)
Every big story starts small. Long before Solar Impulse 2 flew around the world, a man in California flew half a mile at 12 metres above…
2 Wheels
Jean-Pierre Roche – Solar Bike on The Sun Trip 2023
Jean-Pierre Roche took part in Sun Trip Alpes 2023, the long-distance adventure on solar-powered bikes held since 2013. The machine is a solar bike. The Sun…
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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