Viking 29 by Vehicle Research Institute of Western Washington University.
Is it from 2009 
1999 
1997?
That's the car, yes.
Apparently it's the world's first thermophotovoltaic-powered car (bet you didn't know that..!)
Thermophotovoltaic (PTV) energy conversion is a direct conversion process from heat differentials to electricity via photons! (Sounds more like a story from Star Trek to me..!)
It's difficult to ascertain exactly when this car was built, and it was still being shown as a novelty in 2009. But below is an extract from a paper published on 6th August 1997:
QUOTE
Viking 29 is being built under a U.S. Department of Energy contract by the Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) at Western Washington University and JX Crystals of Issaquah, WA to demonstrate a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generator. The 10 kW TPV generator being developed for use in a vehicle makes use of gallium antimonide (GaSb) photovoltaic (PV) cells surrounding a central emitter heated by a compressed natural gas flame to 1700 Kelvin. The infrared photons generated activate the PV cells to produce electricity which maintains a charge in the battery. Preliminary emission testing has shown that this generator is 50 times cleaner than an equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE).
UNQUOTE
Here's the unmodified puzzle photo and a rear view:
