UK Man Crosses Alps on Homemade Solar E-Bike

A guy from Nottingham, UK, just proved you can cross the Alps on a bike powered entirely by the sun.

Shawn Ryan isn't an engineer or professional cyclist. He's just someone who wondered how far a solar electric bike could actually go.

The answer turned out to be over 1,000 kilometers of French roads and brutal Alpine climbs, including the Col de l'Iseran at 2,770 meters, the highest paved mountain pass in the Alps.

Ryan built the bike himself in his garage. He bolted two solar panels to a cargo bike frame, added a mid-drive motor, two batteries, and a charging system he designed from scratch.

Then he entered the Sun Trip, an international competition where riders navigate long distances powered only by solar energy. Touch grid electricity even once, and you're out of the solar-only competition.

The Sun Trip was founded in 2013 after French adventurer Florian Bailly rode solo from France to Japan on a solar bike. Since then, it's become a proving ground for grassroots renewable energy engineering, with routes crossing Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Ryan's biggest design gamble was cutting his solar array from 300 watts to 200 watts. The extra panels produced more power but made the bike too bulky for tight spaces.

That decision almost didn't work out. On his toughest day, Ryan covered 130 kilometers through mountainous terrain, and his panels barely produced enough energy to keep going.

Then a heatwave hit. Temperatures soared to 41°C near Lyon, triggering wildfires across the region.

The extreme heat caused one of Ryan's batteries to shut down its charging system to protect itself. For hours each day, he couldn't store the solar energy his panels were producing, even as he desperately needed it for the climbs ahead.

The Ripple Effect

Ryan finished the race and is already planning his next journey: riding from France to China on solar power alone. He's sharing his designs openly so others can build their own solar bikes.

The Sun Trip has inspired hundreds of riders to prove that renewable energy isn't just viable for short commutes. It can power real adventures across continents.

Ryan's total bike weight with camping gear and camera equipment was 61 kilograms. During testing, his panels produced between 70 and 100 watts depending on weather and sun angle, while the bike consumed about 7.5 watt-hours per kilometer.

The technology keeps improving. Riders are experimenting with lighter panels, more efficient motors, and better battery management systems.

What started as one adventurer's solo ride to Japan has become a movement showing what's possible when everyday people tackle climate solutions with creativity and determination.

Sometimes the most inspiring innovations don't come from labs or corporations but from someone tinkering in a garage, asking "what if?"