page_title: Solar vehicle
section_title: Air
hierarchical_section_title: Solar vehicle / Air
caption_attribution_description: English: HB-SIA makes its first "flea hop" on 3 December 2009 in Dübendorf. Français&#160;: Premier "saut de puce" du HB-SIA à Dübendorf le 3 décembre 2009.
context_page_description: A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy. The term "solar vehicle" usually implies that solar energy is used to power all or part of a vehicle's propulsion. Solar power may be also used to provide power for communications or controls or other auxiliary functions.
  Solar vehicles are not sold as practical day-to-day transportation devices at present, but are primarily demonstration vehicles and engineering exercises, often sponsored by government agencies. However, indirectly solar-charged vehicles are widespread and solar boats are available commercially.
context_section_description: Solar ships can refer to solar powered airships or hybrid airships.
  There is considerable military interest in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); solar power would enable these to stay aloft for months, becoming a much cheaper means of doing some tasks done today by satellites. In September 2007, the first successful flight for 48h under constant power of a UAV was reported.
  This is likely to be the first commercial use for photovoltaics in flight.
  Many demonstration solar aircraft have been built, some of the best known by AeroVironment.
caption: The Swiss solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse completed a circumnavigation of the world in 2016.
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