Lightyear One is developing a solar car. https://lightyear.one

https://www.aptera.us/ is another

I really wanted to get one of those, around 2008. Sounded pretty cool; but I wasn't sure how long it would take them to get such an unusual design to market.

Yeah so apparently the founders failed to get it off the ground in 2008, went and founded another unrelated company, earned a load of money off it and are returning to the original idea!

I think I'm right in saying that they've got a much better plan to mass manufacture now

I would love to read the more fleshed out version of this claim.