Do you know the history of the solar powered car? The first ever solar powered vehicle actually dates back to the 1950's but no one could drive it. That's because the first design by General Motors powered by 12 photovoltaic cells on top was actually only a small palm size model car, but nevertheless, having the model's tiny motor run completely with solar power was still an exciting venture into solar powered cars. This visual timeline of the history of solar powered cars from solarpower.guide is an exciting read. In 1976 we can see that the first drivable solar powered car was developed by a man named Alan Freeman. The car had three wheels and could be powered by sunlight and pedals. Pedal power wasn't going to get you far even with help from the sun so a few years later Larry Perkins and Hans Tholstrup came up with the first solar power car that could be used for long distances. Read more fun facts about the worlds early solar powered vehicles below: