Solar car racing
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We include updates on Nuna, UNSW Sunswift, SolUTra, PrISUm, Nuna 3, Sunraycer, Nuna 4, Volitan, SINAG, UltraCommuter, Nuna 1, Nuna 5, Nuna 2, Tokai Challenger, Sunrayce 99, Nuna 6 ... and more.
| 2024 | Team upgraded the car's drivetrain by powering both the rear right and rear left wheels for the iLumen European Solar Challenge event. |
| 2024 | The team competed in its first European Solar Challenge, using a modified version of their 2019 car Ortus. |
| July 2024 |
Sunseeker
Sunseeker 23 competed in the Formula Sun Grand Prix at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, facing multiple technical challenges. The team completed 40 laps and qualified conditionally for the American Solar Challenge.
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| June 2024 | Daybreak is expected to be completed, preparing for competition in the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) 2024. |
| April 2024 | The Daybreak solar vehicle was officially unveiled by the team. |
| April 3 2024 | Venturi Group announces that Venturi Astrolab has been awarded a NASA contract to support the Artemis campaign's lunar terrain vehicle development, with their FLEX rover equipped with batteries and wheels developed by Gildo Pastor's teams. |
| 2023 | The car retained its 2019 battery configuration, using 420 18650 lithium-ion cells for power storage. |
| 2023 | DUSC used a combination of an in-house developed motor and an externally supplied Marand motor during the 2023 event. The in-house motors were modified to accommodate wider Bridgestone tyres while maintaining their original electrical specifications. |
| 2023 | Durham University Solar Car (DUSC) designed a new solar car for competition, featuring a three-wheel configuration with a unique asymmetrical design, including a sloped array/body aerofoil profile to improve aerodynamics and solar collection. |
| 2023 |
Sunseeker
Aethon raced in its final Formula Sun Grand Prix at Heartland Motorsports Park, placing 5th in the single-occupant vehicle class with 127 laps completed.
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| 2023 | Venturi Racing was renamed to MSG Racing after eight seasons in Formula E. |
| 2023 | Green Thunder qualified 4th on the Hidden Valley Raceway track before the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. |
| 2023 | During pre-race testing near Coober Pedy, the solar deck of Green Thunder blew off, causing damage to some solar modules. |
| 2023 | Top Dutch Solar Racing designed and built the solar car 'Green Thunder' for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, featuring innovative tandem perovskite solar cells and unique rear suspension design. |
| 2023 | Green Thunder completed the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, racing through challenging conditions including bushfires and strong crosswinds, ultimately finishing in 6th position. |
| 2023 | Top Dutch Solar Racing participated in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with their third solar car, named Green Thunder. |
| 2023 | The team completed their solar car and prepared to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. |
| October 2023 | Sunswift wins the 2023 World Solar Challenge in the Cruiser Class, achieving an on-road score of 109.4, a practicality score of 83.3%, and a final score of 91.1. They placed first in both on-road and practicality categories. |
| October 2023 |
Sunseeker
Sunseeker unveiled their newest car, Sunseeker 23, to the public in October.
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| October 27 2023 | Green Thunder finished 6th in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and received the Safety Award for their impressive roadside repair methods and safe working practices. |
| October 22 2023 | Top Dutch Solar Racing started in fourth position in the 16th Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Darwin, Australia with their solar car Green Thunder. |
| June 19 2023 | At the Paris-Le Bourget Air Show, Venturi presents a lunar wheel designed by Venturi Lab for the FLEX rover, featuring 192 cables and capable of withstanding low temperatures at the Moon's South Pole. |
| March 31 2023 | Venturi Group announces that Venturi Astrolab signed an agreement with SpaceX to send the FLEX rover to the Moon in 2026. |
| 2022 |
Sunseeker
Aethon entered the Formula Sun Grand Prix, placing 8th in the single-occupant vehicle class, completing 85 laps at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
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| 2022 |
Solar car teams
aCentauri Solar Racing team was founded, developing their solar car named Aletsch and entering the solar racing scene.
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| 2022 |
Solar car teams
Two additional solar car teams formed: Genuine JV from HTS John Vorster and Team UFS from University of the Free State.
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| 2022 |
Solar car teams
AGH Eko-Energia solar car team was established at AGH University of Science and Technology, creating their first solar car named Perła.
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| 2022 |
Stanford Solar Car Project
Development of the project's newest vehicle, Azimuth, began for the 2022-2023 racing season, with expected completion in late 2022.
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| 2022 |
Nuna
A modified version of Nuna 11, called Nuna 11s, won the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa.
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| 2022 |
Nuna
The solar race car team was renamed to the Brunel Solar Team, continuing the tradition of building solar-powered race cars.
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| 2022 | The team brought Lonestar to the FSGP (Formula Sun Grand Prix) but was unable to race after technical inspection revealed an issue with the battery management system. |
| 2022 | Aevum solar car participates in Michigan Sun Run. |
| 2022 | The team rebranded back to Durham University Solar Car, emphasizing a closer connection to the Engineering Department and refocusing on solar car design. |
| December 2022 | Sunswift achieves a Guinness World Record for the Fastest Electric Vehicle over an unspecified distance on a single charge, completing the journey in 11 hours and 52.08 minutes at an average speed close to the vehicle's maximum. |
| October 2022 | Sunswift 7 was unveiled, representing the team's ongoing commitment to developing high-performance solar electric vehicles with advanced engineering capabilities. |
| June 2022 | The University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team began development of a new solar vehicle called Daybreak after their previous vehicle Lonestar was found to have disqualifying issues. |
| June 2022 | Development of the next solar car project began in the summer semester. |
| June 2022 | Venturi's eco-explorer Xavier Chevrin undertook a 21-day expedition on Spitsbergen island in the Svalbard archipelago, skiing 234 kilometres in temperatures as low as -15°C. The mission was part of the centenary commemorations of Prince Albert I, commissioned by Gildo Pastor, Venturi's Chairman, to pay tribute to Prince Albert II's great-great-grandfather. |
| June 2022 | Top Dutch Solar Racing began building a new solar car with its third team, involving students from multiple educational institutions including University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Alfa College, and HAN University of Applied Sciences. |
| April 2022 | Venturi announces plans to apply its knowledge to space challenges, establishing strategic partnerships with Venturi Lab (Switzerland) and Venturi Astrolab (United States). |
| April 2022 | The team announced a Title and Powertrain Partnership with Maserati for the upcoming Formula E season. |
| 2021 | Planned participation in the World Solar Challenge was cancelled. |
| 2021 |
Sunseeker
Team completed the new solar car Aethon and competed in the 2021 Formula Sun Grand Prix, though they did not qualify for the 2021 American Solar Challenge.
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| 2021 |
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Freya competed in the American Solar Challenge, racing from Independence, Missouri to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where it secured 2nd Place in the Multi-Occupant Vehicle Class.
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| 2021 |
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Freya received the Safety award at the American Solar Challenge, highlighting the team's commitment to vehicle safety.
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| 2021 |
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Manufactured Freya, the team's 14th solar vehicle and first four-seated vehicle during the COVID-19 pandemic, designed for the Cruiser Class.
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| 2021 |
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Participated in the American Solar Challenge 2021, where a battery fire occurred. The vehicle's interchangeable battery configuration allowed it to continue racing and ultimately place second behind Team Sunergy from Appalachian State University.
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| 2021 |
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Competed in the Formula Sun Grand Prix, winning first place due to the vehicle's exceptional maneuverability despite its large size.
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| 2021 |
Solar car teams
University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Solar Racing team was created, representing the newest team in this comprehensive list of US solar car teams.
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| 2021 |
Nuna
During the design period, the World Solar Challenge was cancelled due to COVID-19, leading the Nuna team to organize the Moroccan Solar Challenge as an alternative competition.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Venturi (company), Sunseeker (solar vehicle), University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team, Stanford Solar Car Project, University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project, Nuna, University of Michigan Solar Car Team, Top Dutch Solar Racing, UNSW Sunswift, List of solar car teams & Durham University Solar Car, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.