Solar-powered car made with hemp components to begin production by year’s end

Solar-powered vehicles built from hemp are being reserved from an automaker in San Diego, which expects to go into production by the end of 2021.

Aptera Motors, a startup, high-efficiency vehicle manufacturer, has developed a three-wheeled vehicle that can transport two people, and uses a solar array that can be supplemented with more solar panels on the hood and rear hatch to extend the car’s range to 1,000 miles.

The body is made of a composite of carbon, Kevlar and hemp – proven in racing cars to provide strength and safety, KGO-TV reported. The vehicle is designed to reduce wind resistance, which impacts range.

The manufacturer has already seen massive interest in its new Paradigm vehicle, and 8,000 people have paid deposits on the vehicle, which will be sold for $26,000 to $46,000, depending on features.

Comparatively, its two biggest competitors, the Tesla Model 3 and Lucid Air, sell for $36,000 and $77,400, respectively, according to International Business Times.

The emission-free vehicle also has a 100-kWh battery that can be plugged in to supplement solar power. On solar power alone, it can be driven 45 miles per day.

Aptera is building a factory in San Diego and the cofounders project sales of 2,000 vehicles per year to start, with a goal of 20,000 per year as it develops a fleet of models.