This is a solar car... but not just any solar car...

Most solar cars are burdened down with weight. But this car has overcome that problem with a lightweight electric motor that actually fits snugly inside one its wheels.

When scientists from CSIRO were asked to be involved in the design of a drive motor for a new solar car, they came up with something totally different, an axial flux motor with an aluminum structure that gives the lightest possible weight for the highest power output and efficiency.

The motor is nearly half the weight of other motors which generate the same output.

Road tested, the car demonstrated that its single front wheel drive motor could pull it along at speeds of above 110 kilometres an hour.

Scientists hope that the car of the future could run on these sunlight powered motors embedded in its wheels.

"This motor is high torque, extremely efficient and lightweight. We are very pleased with its performance in the solar car and, with some adaptation, this motor can be used for many other applications."

The motor magnets are made from a compound containing a rare-earth element, readily available in Australia, as is the aluminum used for the motors structure.

This means that when solar powered travel becomes a major form of transport, Australia will be well placed to be both a supplier to the world of the raw materials and of the technology itself.