Solar cars are cars which run on the sun's energy, absorbed by photovoltaic cells.

Solar cars have not become available to the public yet and are still very much in prototypical stages. They are being developed in part by teams such as the University of Michigan Solar Car Team and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Solar Car Team. These teams have competed in the World Solar
Challenge which is a solar car race in the Australian outback.

Development of solar cars is important, as it explores one field of alternative fuels, which are increasingly becoming necessary and critical to the future of transportation worldwide.Solar cars introduce just one possible source of power to the electric vehicle, which is already on the market. Perhaps a hybrid solar/electric (powered by a wire plugged into a wall) or a solar/hydrogen car could be viable, even in areas with limited sun.