Sounds like a great project and one I will watch with interest. I was involved in a high-school solar-electric car project some years ago with my daughter, but these were small, remote controlled cars that the students had to design and build. They were supplied with a solar panel and could build it any way they chose. Her team actually won the regional competition held at a nearby university.
This looks much more interesting and useful.
I'm sure that with your fabrication skills, your car will be a winner or at least technically interesting.