Building an electric car from scratch sounds difficult enough.
Building one using e-bike parts, teaching yourself how to weld along the way, and then powering it with solar panels? That sounds borderline ridiculous.
Yet that’s exactly what YouTuber Simon Sörensen from RCLifeOn pulled off, and somehow, the homemade machine actually works far better than anyone expected.
Even more impressive, the tiny DIY EV managed to travel roughly 18 miles purely on solar energy before tapping into its battery pack.
It Started With Two E-Bikes
Instead of designing a complex drivetrain from scratch, Sörensen took a much smarter route.
He sourced two electric bikes that already featured hub motors in both the front and rear wheels. That instantly gave him four motors, one for each corner of the vehicle.
That setup eliminated the need for chains, sprockets, and other mechanical components that could easily fail.
From there, he built a custom chassis using 25mm steel tubing, despite admitting he had no formal welding experience before starting the project.
He learned as he went, cutting steel with an angle grinder, welding together motor mounts, and slowly building the frame piece by piece.
The steering system also required custom fabrication, including Ackermann geometry to improve turning capability and reduce tire scrubbing.
The Solar Roof Was The Real Challenge
The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to make the car recharge itself.
Sörensen used three lightweight flexible solar panels mounted to the roof, producing a combined 300 watts of power.
Because the vehicle runs on a 48-volt battery system, he needed enough voltage from the solar panels to actually charge the battery while driving.
That forced him to rethink the roof design entirely.
Inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck, he ultimately created an angled roof structure that could properly house all three panels.
The lightweight panels helped keep total weight down, while a Victron solar charging system handled power management.
It’s More Capable Than It Looks
This wasn’t just a glorified go-kart, as the homemade EV features doors, a trunk, lights, hydraulic brakes, multiple drive modes, and enough torque to climb steep hills without breaking a sweat.
Since each wheel has its own motor, Sörensen can switch between front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or full four-wheel drive depending on the situation.
That four-wheel-drive setup proved especially useful during hill climbs, where the little vehicle pulled itself uphill with surprising ease.
It also hit roughly 45 km/h (28 mph), which isn’t bad at all for something built from bicycle parts.
The Solar Test Was The Most Impressive Part
The real headline moment came during his road test.
Sörensen drove approximately 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) while relying entirely on solar energy before needing to draw from the battery.
He said the vehicle normally offers about 50 kilometers of range, but on sunny days, that figure could potentially stretch to nearly 100 kilometers.
That won’t replace your daily commuter anytime soon, but for a DIY project built in a garage using recycled parts? That’s seriously impressive!
It Also Shows How Far EV Tech Has Come
Ten years ago, this kind of project would’ve required far more expensive hardware.
Now someone with basic tools, determination, and a couple of old e-bikes can build a functioning four-wheel-drive solar EV in their garage.
Sure, it’s rough around the edges, but it’s also exactly the kind of creative engineering that reminds you why car enthusiasts keep building weird things simply because they can.