INUVIK - Eleven-year-old Emily Rutherford stood among her friends at the Sir Alexander Mackenzie School courtyard Thursday afternoon wearing an ear-to-ear smile after witnessing Marcelo da Luz take his solar car for a spin.

"He didn't give up. He made the solar car and he reached his goal, that's what makes him so special," said the beaming Grade 6 student.

Da Luz shows off the solar car to a crowd of impressed Sir Alexander Mackenzie School students just before he took the vehicle for a short spin on Mackenzie Road. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photos

Her friend Deklen Crocker, 10, who also witnessed the UFO-like vehicle take off like a shot, couldn't have agreed more.

"It's inspiring because he made a solar car and he's doing his part for the environment," he said. "That makes me want to try harder to be friendlier to the environment."

The sentiment was music to da Luz's ears. On Thursday afternoon he delivered a humour-laden presentation to both SAMS and Samuel Hearne Secondary School students, documenting his struggles with the Dempster Highway and frightened people who were convinced the solar car was a UFO. Afterwards, on Thursday, he drove the car in front of the charged audiences.

As important was his message of sustainability throughout his solar car journey, so too was inspiring young people to follow their dreams. He gave countless school presentations along the way.

"I like to inspire people, especially kids," he said. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to go to the schools and share the project with the kids on Thursday.

The Toronto resident has been in Inuvik since the end of July after clocking more than 35,500 km during his cross-continental journey that saw him travel the Dempster twice in his homemade solar car since June 2008. Along the way he also set a Guinness world record for distance travelled in a sun-powered vehicle. He's planning to leave this week, just as soon as his van is repaired.

He overcame huge obstacles and challenges in the process. Among them, spending more than $500,000, as he watched his life savings disappear.

But it was all worth it.

"One of the most difficult things for me wasn't actually building the car it was believing that I could do it," he said.

I was excited that they welcomed the opportunity. When I'm doing the presentation I tell them the message I'm trying to get across wherever I go, to believe in their dreams and believe they are the only ones standing in front of them."

He's planning to come back to Inuvik to drive the ice road to Tuktoyaktuk in his solar car in April. And after that take off from Inuvik to Ushuaia, Argentina on June 21.

Da Luz is trying to raise $360,000 to fund the trip.

As far as Crocker's concerned he'll do it. Still charged by da Luz's presentation, he was eager to explain the magic of the solar car.

"You don't have to use gas or anything, you can use the sun, which doesn't really affect the sun," he said. "So it keeps the environment more friendly. That's great."