The sun can power everything from your iPhone to your entire house, so why not electric bikes, too? It’s nice to have some extra power when cycling, whether for going long distances, pulling loads or getting uphill. The Solar Cross e-Bike by Terry Hope of TheKPV gives a boost to a hybrid bike prototype using a series of solar panels, so it never has to be plugged into a wall to charge.
Using solar power means it doesn’t need batteries, either – it runs directly off the power of the sun. Watch the video above to see it in action. Additional videos on the KPV website show how it does in various conditions.
All of those solar panels may look a bit silly – they’re definitely bulkier than the average bike – but they’re surprisingly lightweight, weighing just 0.1kg each. The whole bike weighs less than 22kg (48.5 pounds). Of course, then you might have to worry about those panels getting stolen when you have to stash your bike somewhere.
What do you think – would you ride this thing around?

