A 66-year-old farmer in southwest China has made a solar car capable of going 40 kilometers per hour, the Chongqing Economic Times reported.

It took Yang Zhenghua in Qijiang District, Chongqing City, two months to design and make the car, which is one meter in width, 2.2 meters in length, and 1.2 meters in height. The car's wooden frame is powered by four solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Besides being energy efficient, the car is also cost effective. Yang spent some 4,000 yuan (US$618.8) on raw materials, including the PV panels and wood blocks. "I made all the materials unavailable in the market myself," said the primary school dropout, who used to work in a machinery factory.

The handmade car has almost all the instruments that a normal car is expected to have, including an odometer and a speedometer. It is even equipped with software for the electronic throttle and brake control.

Yang finished making the car on March 16 and has been improving it ever since. He hopes that the car could be of use for the elderly, but he feels the maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour might be too fast for them. He is also testing the car's power duration and climbing abilities to make further improvements.

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