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HOUSTON – Solar-powered cars could be on American roads in the near future, as a California company says it will start production on the first ones late this year.

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Imagine never having to put gas in a car. That could save you $2,000 a year.

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And while electric cars need to be recharged, the makers of the Aptera solar-powered car say for short drives, the sun can do the charging for you.

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Three wheels gliding down the road like a bird.  Say hello to Aptera, the world’s first solar-powered electric car.

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“The Aptera has integrated solar body panels. Whenever the sun is out, the Aptera is creating energy,” explained Aptera CEO Chris Anthony.

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Anthony says the sun can power an Aptera to travel about 40 miles a day, and it has a battery that can be charged with electricity to drive up to 1,000 miles.  He says the Aptera’s aerodynamic design can reach up to 60 miles an hour in four seconds flat.

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“It drives like a little sports car, but it’s very quiet, because most of the wind noise at highway speeds that you feel in other vehicles just isn’t there,” said Anthony.

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Anthony says Aptera is designed with safety features, including airbags, safety restraints, and crumple zones.

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“We have a carbon monoshock chassis, built much like a Formula 1 car or a Cirrus aircraft than traditional automotive. When we last tested the body structure, we had the highest roof crush strength of any passenger car on the road,” Anthony said.

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We asked internationally recognized solar expert Dr. Ramesh Ramamoorthy about how solar-powered vehicles will impact future transportation.

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“It’s quite conceivable that 20 years from now, maybe even faster, that you will see cars being equipped with very efficient and low-cost solar panels that generate quite a bit of the electricity needed to drive the car,” said Ramamoorthy.

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And the use of clean energy could reduce auto emissions in the environment.

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“The more clean energy we put into it, the better off we’re going to be. Of course, this is going to have a huge impact on climate change,” said Ramamoorthy.

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Anthony says they have orders for 46,000 Aptera’s already.  They range in price from $26,000 to $44,000.