On the western edge of NC State’s Raleigh campus, a group of students called SolarPack have been designing and building a car for the future. Unlike small solar cars built for efficiency alone, the students wanted to build a full-size car in order to show that solar and battery power is possible in a passenger-style vehicle. In August 2018, some of the group’s student leaders provided a tour of the solar and battery-powered car as part of the university’s Sustainability Partners program.
![](https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/multisite/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Solar-5.jpg)
The car is almost 16 feet long and 5 feet tall, roughly the same size as a Toyota Camry. Students are building the car at the Advanced Transportation Energy Center Lab on campus.
![](https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/multisite/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/solar-4.jpg)
Students started building the car last academic year. About 40 students from many different majors have been involved in the project.
![](https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/multisite/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/solar-6.jpg)
A simulation gives the car a top speed of 98 miles per hour and the ability to go from zero to 60 in about six seconds.
![](https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/multisite/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Solar-2.jpg)
The car is powered by solar cells and lithium ion batteries for an estimated 220-mile range.
![](https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/multisite/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Solar-3.jpg)
The team hopes to race the car at the World Solar Challenge in Australia in 2019.