Electric car. Solectria electric car powered by batteries and solar energy. The car's solar panels are located on its roof and engine bonnet. The car uses twelve 12 volt lead-acid batteries to supply most of its power with the solar panels providing a small, additional charge in sunny weather. The batteries are recharged by connecting them to household electricity mains, giving the car a range of 144-192 km (90-120 miles). The batteries' charge is conserved during the journey by using brakes that convert the car's energy of velocity back into electricity. If petrol cars were this efficient, they would travel 114 km on 1 litre of fuel (270 miles per gallon).