BWSC 2023

It’s still early days, but here is a list of 41 cars (from 20 countries; 28 Challengers and 13 Cruisers) likely to attend the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October this year. There are some familar names as well as some newcomers (aCentauri from Switzerland, Nottingham from the United Kingdom, Ascend from Australia, Solaride from Estonia, DCU from Ireland, SNU from Korea, and AgniRath from India). Check out the new design by JU!

This list is a work in progress, and team numbers are mostly guesswork.

See this page and this blog tag for my past coverage of the event, and the official race social media at        (click on the icons).


US  University of Michigan Solar Car Team 

Challenger (new car) – I expect them to reveal their car in July.

Previously, Michigan came 9th at WSC 13; came 4th at WSC 15; came 2nd at WSC 17; came 3rd at WSC 19; won ASC 14; won ASC 16; came 2nd at ASC 18; and won Abu Dhabi 15. Their team number (2) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: credit / Right: Anthony Dekker (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

NL  Brunel Solar Team (Delft) 

Challenger (new car: Nuna12) – they are building their 12th car for the 2023 World Solar Challenge.

Previously, Delft won WSC 13; won WSC 15; won WSC 17; came 12th at WSC 19; won SASOL 14; won SASOL 16; won SASOL 18; won SASOL 22; and came 3rd at SCM 21. Their team number (3) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

CL  Antakari Solar Team 

Challenger (new car: Intikallpa VI) – they will reveal their car in August.

Previously, Antakari participated in the WSC 13 Adventure class; came 10th at WSC 17; and came 7th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

NL  Top Dutch Solar Racing 

Challenger (Green Lightning) – I am not sure if they are bringing a new car or an existing one.

Previously, Top Dutch came 4th at WSC 19; came 3rd at iESC 20; came 5th at iESC 22; and came 4th at SCM 21.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

AU  Adelaide University Solar Racing Team 

Asymmetric challenger (Lumen II) – they will be restoring and improving Lumen II for this event.

Previously, Adelaide came 21st at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and came 16th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

BE  Innoptus Solar Team / KU Leuven 

Challenger (new car) – they have a new name and a new sponsor, and are building a new car (their 10th).

Previously, Innoptus came 6th at WSC 13; came 5th at WSC 15; came 3rd at WSC 17; won WSC 19; came 3rd at Abu Dhabi 15; came 2nd at SASOL 22; came 2nd at iESC 16; came 6th at iESC 18; came 1st and 6th at iESC 20; won iESC 21; came 6th at iESC 22; won Carrera Solar Atacama 18; and came 2nd at SCM 21. Their team number (8) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

10  JP  Tokai University 

Monohull challenger (new car: Tokai Challenger) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, Tokai came 2nd at WSC 13; came 3rd at WSC 15; came 4th at WSC 17; came 2nd at WSC 19; came 7th at Abu Dhabi 15; came 2nd at SASOL 16; and came 2nd at SASOL 18.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

12  GB  Cambridge University Eco Racing 

Four-seat cruiser (Helia) – they are hoping to take their cruiser back to Australia.

Previously, Cambridge came 22nd at WSC 15; participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; and came 10th at iESC 16.

 
Left: Nigel / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

14  AU  Flinders University 

Two-seat cruiser (new car: Investigator IV) – their new car looks like a Cybertruck.

Previously, Flinders participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class and participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

15  AU  Western Sydney Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – I understand that they are building a new car of some kind.

Previously, WS came 11th at WSC 13; came 10th at WSC 15; came 6th at WSC 17; came 20th at WSC 19; and won ASC 18.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: Anthony Dekker (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

18  MY  EcoPhoton Solar Car Team (UiTM) 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, EcoPhoton came 26th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and participated at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

20  GB  Durham University Solar Car 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, DU Solar came 27th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and came 14th at WSC 19.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

21  NL  Solar Team Twente 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new car: Red X) – the 2023 World Solar Challenge will see their 10th car. The design was revealed on March 9. It is the second three-wheeler after RED E.

Previously, Twente came 3rd at WSC 13; came 2nd at WSC 15; came 5th at WSC 17; came 17th at WSC 19; won iESC 16; came 1st and 2nd at iESC 18; came 2nd and 4th at iESC 20; came 3rd at iESC 21; came 3rd and equal 8th at iESC 22; and won SCM 21. Their team number (21) is a pun and a wish for success in the race (“Twente-One”).

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

22  US  Illini (University of Illinois) 

Monohull challenger (Brizo) – I am not sure if they are coming to Australia with Brizo, or if they will finish their new Project C before the event.

Previously, Illini participated in the WSC 17 Adventure class; came 7th at ASC 18; came 4th at FSGP 19; came 4th at ASC 21; and came 6th at ASC 22. Their team number (22) is a tradition since 1995.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

23  SE  Halmstad University Solar Team 

Three-wheel challenger (new car: Heart 4) – In 2021 they revealed a three-fairing car.

Previously, HUST participated at WSC 19 and participated at Swedish Solar Race 21.

 
Left: credit / Right: JU Solar Team (click images to zoom)

30  AU  Team Arrow 

Cruiser – they plan to be at the event, but I am not sure which vehicle they will race.

Previously, Arrow came 7th at WSC 13; came 8th at WSC 15; came 3rd in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 19 Adventure class; came 5th at Abu Dhabi 15; and came 8th at iESC 18. Their team number (30) is the average age of people on the original team.


picture credit (click image to zoom – OLD PIC)

34  TR  Istanbul Technical University (ITU) 

Challenger (Ariba ZES X) – this car has replaced their older B.O.W. It toured Turkey in 2022.

Previously, ITU came 17th at WSC 13; participated at WSC 17; came 7th at iESC 16; came 7th at iESC 20; came 8th at iESC 21; and came 4th at iESC 22. Their team number (34) is the vehicle license plate prefix for Istanbul.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

35  US  University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project 

Four-seat cruiser (Freya) – they are America’s Cruiser class pioneers. I understand that they are returning with Freya.

Previously, Minnesota came 4th in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; came 5th in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; came 5th in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 2nd at ASC 14; came equal 10th at ASC 16; came equal 2nd in the ASC 18 Cruiser class; came 2nd in the ASC 21 Cruiser class; and won the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (35) is derived from the Interstate 35 highway.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

40  NL  Solar Team Eindhoven 

Four-seat cruiser (new car: Stella Terra) – their focus for 2021 was a Self-sustaining House On Wheels (Stella Vita). This year they are building an off-road vehicle. I am not sure if that is actually intended to compete in the Cruiser class.

Previously, Eindhoven won the WSC 13 Cruiser class; won the WSC 15 Cruiser class; won the WSC 17 Cruiser class; won the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 7th in the iESC 18 Cruiser class; came 1st and 2nd in the iESC 20 Cruiser class; and came 3rd in the iESC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (40) is the Eindhoven telephone area code.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

41  AU  Australian National University 

Three-wheel (tadpole) challenger (new car: Solar Car 3) – they have a hot new car.

Previously, ANU participated at WSC 17 and participated at WSC 19.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

45  PL  Lodz Solar Team 

Four-seat cruiser (Eagle Two) – this car is still going strong.

Previously, Lodz participated in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 5th at SASOL 16; won the iESC 18 Cruiser class; came 2nd in the iESC 21 Cruiser class; and won the iESC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (45) is a tradition since 2015.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

46  SE  JU Solar Team 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new car: Axelight) – they have abandoned the catamaran approach, revealing revealed their new monohull on 22 March.

Previously, JU came 20th at WSC 13; came 15th at WSC 15; came 8th at WSC 17; and came 10th at WSC 19. Their team number (46) is the Swedish national telephone prefix.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

47  JP  Nagoya Institute of Technology Solar Racing 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, NITech came 16th at WSC 15; came 12th at WSC 17; and came 8th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

49  TH  Siam Technical College 

Cruiser (new car: STC-4) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, STC came 28th at WSC 15; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

51  SE  Chalmers Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – they are building a new vehicle to replace their elegant bullet car.

Previously, Chalmers came 21st at WSC 19; came 5th at iESC 21; came 7th at iESC 22; participated at Swedish Solar Race 21; and came 6th at SCM 21.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

66  TR  Sakarya University (SAITEM) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger – after racing in 2009 and 2011, they plan to return to the WSC in 2023. As with other teams they have abandoned the catamaran concept for a bullet car which they hope has higher aerodynamic efficiency.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

70  DE  Sonnenwagen Aachen 

Challenger (new car: Sonnenwagen 4) – they have begun building a new car, which they will reveal on 5 June.

Previously, Aachen participated at WSC 17; came 6th at WSC 19; came 3rd at iESC 18; came 5th and 8th at iESC 20; came 2nd and 6th at iESC 21; came 1st and 2nd at iESC 22; won ISC 22; and came 5th at SCM 21. Their team number (70) is the number they raced with in 2017.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

75  AU  Sunswift (University of New South Wales) 

Cruiser (new car: Sunswift 7) – they revealed their new car in 2021 and achieved a world record for fastest EV over 1000km on a single charge, doing so in under 12 hours.

Previously, Sunswift came 3rd in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; came 4th in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and came 2nd in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

77  CA  Blue Sky Solar Racing (Toronto) 

Monohull challenger (new car: Borealis) – they revealed Borealis in 2022.

Previously, Blue Sky came 8th at WSC 13; came 12th at WSC 15; came 11th at WSC 17; came 11th at WSC 19; and came 3rd at ASC 16.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

81  TR  Solar Team Solaris (Dokuz Eylül University) 

Challenger (S11) – they have replaced their old catamaran with a bullet car, which they will be racing again, I believe.

Previously, Solaris participated in the WSC 13 Adventure class; came 25th at WSC 15; came 18th at WSC 19; came 9th at iESC 16; came 7th at iESC 21; came equal 8th at iESC 22; came 3rd at ISC 22; came 2nd at Albi Eco 18; and came 2nd at MSRC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

85  CH  aCentauri Solar Racing (ETHZ) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is the second Swiss team, made up mostly of students from ETH Zurich. They have benefited from the advice of SER, the other Swiss team. Their team number (85) is commemorates the world’s oldest solar car race, the Tour de Sol, which first took place in Switzerland in 1985.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

88  JP  Kogakuin Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, Kogakuin came 14th at WSC 13; came 2nd in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; came 7th at WSC 17; and came 5th at WSC 19. Their team number (88) is multi-faceted (88 is a lucky number in Japanese kanji; 4 wheels looks like 88; and the team garage is in Hachioji city, with “hachi” meaning “eight”).

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

98  AU  ATN Solar Car Team 

Two-seat cruiser (Priscilla) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, ATN participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

101  CA  Éclipse – Véhicule solaire de l’ÉTS  

Asymmetric challenger (new car: Eclipse XI) – they raced in Australia in 2019 as number 92, finishing 2nd among North American teams. They revealed their new car in February.

Previously, Eclipse came 18th at WSC 13; came 9th at WSC 19; came 10th at ASC 14; came 8th at ASC 16; came 4th at FSGP 17; came 3rd at ASC 18; and came 5th at ASC 22.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

230  GB  University of Nottingham Solar Racing Team 

Cruiser (new team) – their rather radical approach is to modify a Renault Twizy to have solar panels, improved electrics, and second life Nissan Leaf batteries.


photo: UoN team (click image to zoom)

333  ID  Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember 

Cruiser (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, ITS came 21st at WSC 13 and participated in the WSC 15 Cruiser class.


photo: Anthony Dekker (click image to zoom – OLD PIC)

994  AU  Deakin University / ACCIONA (Ascend) 

Two-seat cruiser (new team with car: Ascend) – this new Australian team has a nice-looking Cruiser.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

995  EE  Solaride 

Two-seat cruiser (new team) – this new team from Estonia has built a good-looking Cruiser. They are based in the city of Tartu.

Previously, Solaride participated in the SCM 21 Adventure class.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

996  IE  DCU Solar Racing (Dublin City University) 

Monohull challenger (new team) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

998  KR  Seoul National University (SNU SOLO) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is a new team.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

999  IN  AgniRath (IIT Madras) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is a new team from IIT Madras.


public domain photo

This page last updated 13:52 on 24 March 2023 AEDT.


FSGP 2023

The Formula Sun Grand Prix is on again this year at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas. Scrutineering begins on 27 June.

Here is a list of the 23 teams (19 Challenger/SOV cars and 4 Cruiser/MOV cars) from 2 countries registered for the race. Teams are sorted in team number order and, as always, you can click the social media links, and click images to zoom (I have not yet found images for some of the newer teams). You can also check out the official ASC social media at        (click on the icons).

US  Kentucky 

Symmetric challenger (Gato del Sol VI) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, Kentucky came 14th at FSGP 14; came 10th at FSGP 15; came 12th at ASC 16; came 7th at FSGP 17; came 3rd at FSGP 19; came 2nd at ASC 21; and came 3rd at ASC 22.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

US  University of Florida (Solar Gators) 

Monohull challenger (new car: Sunrider) – they have a beautiful new car.

Previously, Florida came equal 15th at FSGP 17; came 10th at FSGP 18; came 8th at FSGP 19; and came 10th at FSGP 22.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

US  UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team (CalSol) 

Symmetric challenger (Zephyr) – they raced in Australia in 2019 as number 66: read about their Australian adventures here.

Previously, CalSol participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 15th at FSGP 14; came 7th at FSGP 15; came 9th at ASC 16; won FSGP 17; came 6th at ASC 18; came 2nd in the FSGP 19 Cruiser class; came 6th at ASC 21; and came 4th at ASC 22.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

US  UT Austin 

Monohull challenger (Lone Star ) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, UT came 9th at ASC 14; came 6th at FSGP 15; and came 9th at FSGP 17.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

11  US  Northwestern 

Symmetric challenger (SC7) – while a new SC8 is planned eventually, they will race the SC7 they sent to FSGP 19.

Previously, Northwestern came 16th at FSGP 16; came 12th at FSGP 17; and came 10th at FSGP 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

12  US  Hot Wheelz (Rochester Institute of Technology) 

Challenger (new team) – this is an all-female team, with experience in Formula SAE.

17  US  Illinois State 

Symmetric challenger (Mercury 6) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, Illinois St came equal 16th at FSGP 14; came 3rd at FSGP 15; came 11th at ASC 16; came 5th at FSGP 17; came 12th at FSGP 18; came 7th at FSGP 19; came 7th at ASC 21; came 11th at FSGP 22; and came 13th at Abu Dhabi 15.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

19  US  Bearcat Solar Car (Cincinnati) 

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team.

21  US  Kennesaw State

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team.

32  US  Principia Solar Car Team 

Asymmetric challenger (Ra XI) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, Principia came 17th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; came 5th at ASC 14; came 5th at FSGP 15; came 5th at ASC 16; came 13th at FSGP 17; came 2nd at FSGP 19; came 3rd at ASC 21; came 2nd at ASC 22; and came 6th at Abu Dhabi 15.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

42  US  Missouri S&T 

Asymmetric challenger (Independence) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, Missouri S&T came 7th at FSGP 14; came 4th at FSGP 15; came 4th at ASC 16; and came 8th at FSGP 17. Their team number (42) is a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

55  CA  Esteban (Poly Montreal) 

Two-seat cruiser (Esteban 10) – they have transitioned to the Cruiser (MOV) class.

Previously, Esteban came 4th at ASC 14; came 2nd at FSGP 15; came equal 10th at ASC 16; came 3rd at FSGP 17; came 4th at ASC 18; won FSGP 19; and came 3rd in the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (55) is the year that Western Electric began to sell licenses for silicon PV technology.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

66  US  Rutgers University 

Asymmetric challenger (Arctan) – they seem to have been given Stanford’s 2015 car.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

87  US  University of Virginia 

Monohull challenger (Rivanna 2) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, UVA came 12th at FSGP 22.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

96  CA  Sunstang (Western University) 

Two-seat cruiser (new car) – they are building a new car for this event. The car uses Sunpower Maxeon Gen II monocrystalline silicon cells.

Previously, Sunstang came 14th at FSGP 15 and came equal 15th at FSGP 17.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

99  US  North Carolina State University (SolarPack) 

Two-seat cruiser (SPX) – this team will race their modified commercial ICE vehicle.

Previously, NCSU came 4th in the FSGP 21 Cruiser class and came 6th in the FSGP 22 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

540  US  Virginia Tech 

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team. Their team number (540) is the telephone area code for parts of northwestern Virginia.

608  US  Badgerloop (Wisconsin) 

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team. Their team number (608) is the telephone area code for southwestern Wisconsin.

614  US  Buckeye (Ohio State) 

Symmetric challenger (Farasi) – they seem to have been given Sunseeker’s Farasi. Their team number (614) is the telephone area code for parts of Columbus, Ohio.


picture credit (click image to zoom)

777  US  Tigres Del Sol (University of the Pacific) 

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team.

786  US  Western Michigan (Sunseeker) 

Asymmetric challenger (Aethon) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, W Mich came 7th at ASC 14; came 14th at FSGP 17; came 9th at ASC 18; came 5th at FSGP 19; came 8th at FSGP 21; and came 8th at FSGP 22. Their team number (786) is the sequence of digits for S-U-N on old phones (but last year they raced as 30).


photo: WMU team (click image to zoom)

828  US  Appalachian State University (Sunergy) 

Two-seat cruiser (ROSE) – this team has a fantastic, well-tested car.

Previously, AppState came 6th at ASC 16; came 2nd at FSGP 17; came equal 2nd in the ASC 18 Cruiser class; won the ASC 21 Cruiser class; and came 2nd in the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (828) is the telephone area code for western North Carolina.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

850  US  West Florida 

Monohull challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team. Their team number (850) is the telephone area code for parts of the Florida Panhandle.

This page last updated 19:27 on 17 March 2023 AEDT.


Italian Solar Challenge Results

Above are official lap counts (in two stints) for the recent Italian Solar Challenge at the Imola Circuit near Bologna.

Bochum reported electrical problems with their SunRiser, and did not race, although they had successfully completed a qualifying lap (both Bochum cars had driven all the way to Italy). The local Italian team had even more serious electrical problems.

According to the regulations, for the Challenger class, there should be added to the scores above:

  • 2 laps for the fastest lap during the race (Aachen gets this, with a time of 4:09.236 in the first stint, i.e. 70.9 km/h for the lap)
  • 4 laps for the pole position in the qualifications (Aachen gets this too)

Consequently, Aachen’s lap score should, I understand, be adjusted up to 95.

Update: it seems that the organisers have decided to retroactively merge the two classes. Rankings are therefore:

  1. Aachen
  2. Bochum
  3. Solaris
  4. Solis-EV

Italian Solar Challenge now on

The Italian Solar Challenge is now on at the Imola Circuit near Bologna. A calendar for the event is shown above. Further details and team social media links can be found on my annotated teams list. See also the race social media at    

 
The Covestro Sonnenwagen (left) and the thyssenkrupp SunRiser (right) are 2 of the 7 cars at the event (photos by Anthony Dekker, click images to zoom)

Update

The start grid is shown below, courtest of team Sonnenwagen Aachen, who also have a livestream here. It seems that I was wrong in the pictures above; Aachen are racing only the three-wheel Covestro Photon. Bochum reports electrical problems with their SunRiser, which they expect to race only a few laps.


European Solar Challenge: Further Analysis

I updated my previous post to include visualisations of the official results of the iLumen European Solar Challenge. However, a helpful commenter shared a link to the detailed lap data, so above and below is some further analysis on lap times. Colours are the same as in the previous charts. As always, click to zoom.

The chart at the top shows pit time (including recharging time) as almost-horizontal lines, and pit time is also visible as gaps in the chart below. The histograms show that Top Dutch (6), the two cars from Sonnenwagen Aachen (7 and 70), Istanbul Technical University (34), and the experienced drivers in BOSolarCar e.V. (11) were particularly good at driving consistent lap times.

Measured by median lap times, Stella Vita from Eindhoven (41), Covestro Photon from Aachen (7), SunRiser from Bochum (11), RED E from Twente (42), and BluePoint from Agoria (8) were the fastest cars.


European Solar Challenge Lap Data

All too soon, the 24-hour iLumen European Solar Challenge is over. The charts above and below (click to zoom) show results from the live timing board. The winners of the two classes (Challenger and CR = Cruiser) will be decided on points scores, which are still to come. Meanwhile, however, the German teams from Aachen and Bochum deserve special congratulations. For updates, see also the race social media at    

Update 1: there are apparently no official results yet. All that has been released has been the podiums:

  • Challenger: 1. Covestro Photon (Aachen), 2. Covestro Sonnenwagen (Aachen), 3. RED E (Twente)
  • Cruiser: 1. Lodz, 2. Onda Solare, 3. Stella Era (Eindhoven)

Using the guidelines in the official regulations, I can calculate the Challenger class scores (see below).

Update 2: the official results have now been released, and I have added the chart below. Bochum seems to have lost out from having a two-seater car. For the rest, practicality judging makes up 40% of the final Cruiser score at iESC, so that Lodz essentially won on practicality (although I note that four of the Cruisers raced in Australia in 2019, and I would have expected both practicality and efficiency scores at Zolder to have been somewhat similar).


Sasol Solar Challenge Results

The final day of the Sasol Solar Challenge saw the teams arrive in Cape Town, with Delft (Brunel) in the lead after 8 gruelling days. Brunel’s fantastic performance is tarnished somewhat by the fact that a member of one of the South African teams threw a tool (?!) at Agoria’s solar panel last night, seriously damaging it. Without that damage, it is possible that the Belgians could have won.

The updated chart above incorporates some minor corrections to previous days. Not shown in the chart is UniChamps (University of South Africa), the sole Cruiser class team.

See my annotated list of teams for all team social media links. The official race social media is at      


European Solar Challenge (iESC)

The iLumen European Solar Challenge in Belgium is about to begin – see my annotated list of iESC teams. The 24-hour track race will start at 13:00 on the 17th, continuing until 13:00 on the 18th. The image above shows Kratos EAFIT (from Colombia), Sonnenwagen Aachen (from Germany), Top Dutch (from the Netherlands), and Onda Solare (from Italy).

For fans at home interested in the weather, check the forecast. It looks like it will be rather wet, sadly. At the top of this page is a webcam nearby, looking west, towards the Zolder racetrack. This webcam is at the track itself (with a view of the “Kleine Chicane,” looking roughly north from just about the centre of the track). Circuit Zolder has a live timing board and tracker. See also the race social media at      


Sasol Day 7 / iESC begins

Day 7 of the Sasol Solar Challenge took the solar cars along the coast from Jeffreys Bay to Riversdale via Knysna and (optionally) Buffelsbaai. The Dutch and the Belgians are still-neck-and-neck, with the Dutch ahead by the tiniest whisker (10.1 km). Nail-biting stuff!

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

Meanwhile, scrutineering is beginning in Belgium for the massive fleet of cars in the iLumen European Solar Challenge (see my annotated list of iESC teams). I count 4 teams from the Netherlands (6 cars), 2 teams from Germany (3 cars), 2 teams from Turkey, 2 teams from the UK, and 1 team each from Belgium, Colombia, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. That’s 19 cars in total (10 Challengers and 9 Cruisers).

The 24-hour track race will start at 13:00 on the 17th, continuing until 13:00 on the 18th. For fans at home interested in the weather, check the forecast. It looks like it will be rather wet, sadly. At the top of this page is a webcam nearby, looking west, towards the Zolder racetrack. This webcam is at the track itself (with a view of the “Kleine Chicane,” looking roughly north from just about the centre of the track). See the race social media at