The 1950s may be remembered for many things that now seem quaint, but it also was a decade with antecedents for our current technological pursuits.
On this date in 1955, William G. Cobb of the General Motors Corp. demonstrated the world’s first solar-powered car. This vehicle didn’t take the world by storm because it was a model a mere 15 inches long. The first solar powered car that could actually be driven wasn’t unveiled until 1962; a 1912 Baker electric car was fitted with nearly 11,000 individual solar cells on the roof to power the vehicle.
Now, more than 50 years later, a fully practical solar-powered car remains a goal, but manufacturing automobiles, mostly powered by internal combustion, is a $111 billion a year business in the U.S.
Interested in solar powered vehicle technology? Check out the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
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