If you grew up in the 80s or 90s in elementary school, you might remember the articles written about the advances in solar panels. You might have been told that by the year 2000, many cars would be running on solar power. The reality turned out a little different.

There are electric cars that have become more reliable in recent years; however, they don’t rely on solar power.

There are several reasons why cars can’t run on solar power:

• The panels are heavy, and there isn’t much space on a car. Batteries already make the car heavy—this would just add more weight for very little power output.
• Conditions are not always ideal. You might be parked in the shade, or your car might be driving through a windstorm.
• Trickle-charging isn’t as useful as it sounds. Modern EV batteries are so large (40–100 kWh) that a small solar panel barely makes a difference.

As solar panels become lighter, more efficient, and cheaper, perhaps the future of electric cars using solar charging isn’t too far off. Some cars have experimented with this, but for now, it remains a millennial childhood fantasy—until it becomes a reality.