A solar-powered car has completed the journey from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland without spending a penny on fuel, marking a world first for a production vehicle. The standard Renault 4, modified with solar panels, ran entirely on sunlight, using no petrol or grid electricity.
Journey details and fuel savings
Motoring adventurer Jeremy Hart drove the vehicle, highlighting the obvious appeal of solar motors amid rising fuel prices. "We're all in that boat, whether you're a millionaire or not. No one wants to pay a penny more for fuel than they absolutely have to. And the fact that we've done this drive for free is bonkers," Hart said. The same one-way trip would typically cost motorists £120 in petrol and emit around 78kg of CO2 in a conventional car.
Charging and power system
Charging was managed by the firm Easee, with power sourced from solar farms along the route. Easee boss Anthony Fernandes commented, "Electric vehicles and solar were made for each other. I think this journey proves exactly that." The Renault used a 300kWh power bank built from second-hand electric car cells, which recharged the vehicle six times over the trip. An Easee smart charger ensured every mile came from sunlight.
Energy consumption and final charge
The motor consumed just 276 kWh over the entire journey, reaching the finish line as Scotland kicked off against Brazil in the World Cup last week. The panels gathered enough energy to theoretically turn around and drive back to Cornwall. Hart noted, "We were very lucky, we only had one road closed on the journey which added about 25 miles but we had enough juice to get where we were planning to." He added, "The biggest challenge actually came before we started, as low fog made it difficult to actually get to Land's End to start. We could charge but not as well as usual, but luckily the sun came out and we could charge up. We arrived at John O'Groats with 5% charge left on the car."
