Inventor introduces solar powered motorcycle

Solar-panelled bike produces 800 watts, which, we reckon, is enough to power a good few light bulbs




Solar power ... not likely to catch on in the UK

No, it's not some sort of early April Fool, joke. This is a real motorcycle powered by solar panels.

The bike is base around inventor Jim Corning's wife's Kawasaki 250.
Corning took some technology used in his company Prometheus Solar LLC and developed the bike.

Corning showed the concept motorcycle at the Santa Monica AltCar Expo.
The story quickly appeared on top eco website AutoblogGreen. The four panels behind Corning in the picture offer 800 watts, enough to recharge the bike.

Corning said that during testing he's blown up the batteries twice. The outlandish look of the bike was inspired by Craig Vetter's fuel efficiency contests of the 1980s. Currently, the bike uses lithium-ion phosphate batteries from Thundersky that have a 4.6 kWh capacity connected to a 10bhp motor for a top speed of 70mph and has a range of about 50 miles.