Quincy resident draws attention with solar-powered car

QUINCY (WGEM) — Solar energy has been a major talking point in the Tri-States lately.

Just over a year ago, one Gem City resident purchased a solar-powered vehicle, and he couldn’t be more pleased.

Roy Druffel bought a solar-powered car in March of 2024. The car is only able to go up to 25 miles per hour and can take you about 40 miles on a fully charged battery.

Druffel said he had to get the car delivered because there are no Wink car dealerships in the area. He said when you own something unique, it may spark curiosity, and he certainly gets that with local residents.

“Most people like, if I go to Walmart, and I come out of Walmart, they’ll stand around it looking at it, taking pictures of it, and stuff like that, because it’s kind of a different thing, but I have fun with it,” Druffel said.

He said not all people are as friendly out on the roads due to the max speed being 25 mph. Many may question why someone would purchase a car like this.

“It goes from dead to almost fully charged for 50 cents worth of electricity, where can you go 40 miles on 50 cents,” Druffel said.

He added that although it may not be as flashy as some cars, it makes him happy and gets him from point A to point B, and that’s all that matters to him.

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