Solar Car team overcomes challenges to surge ahead

Founded in 2021, SolarCar at Virginia Tech set out to give students hands-on experience in vehicle design, while promoting renewable energy and interdisciplinary collaboration. In July 2025, the team completed its second race, the 2025 Formula Sun Grand Prix, at the National Corvette Museum track in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Racing again with their first-generation vehicle, the Sun Gobbler, the team faced early challenges. A major electrical failure just before departure required designing a custom solution in-house, enabling the team to pass inspection and get on track by the second day of racing. From there, the Sun Gobbler ran flawlessly for 12 straight hours, completing 83 laps (261 miles), a 70% performance improvement over last year. Despite the late start, the team secured 9th place out of 26 teams in the Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) division, ahead of many veteran solar car teams.

Faculty support from advisors Saied Taheri, Behzad Hamedi, and Brian Lattimer, along with continued engagement from Engineering Education Professor Marie Paretti, has helped guide the team’s growth. Focus will now turn to building their second-generation car, the Sun Voyager, for the cross-country American Solar Challenge race in summer 2026.