News
30 November 2020
No race in South Africa
The outbreak of the coronavirus has introduced a lot of changes in the past year, and this was no different for our team. For more than a year, our team has been working towards the SASOL Solar Challenge in South Africa. The team has made the difficult decision to not participate in this challenge.
Read more22 November 2020
Agoria Solar Team opens tenth edition of the Day of Science
On Sunday 22 November, the Agoria Solar Team opened the live show of the tenth edition of the Day of Science. A special anniversary edition, because the Day of Science took place completely digitally for the very first time.
Read more17 October 2020
One year since the World Solar Challenge 2019
One year ago, we won the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. After racing 3021 km through the Australian outback, we were the first team to cross the finish line in Adelaide. For this special occasion, we present our official aftermovie. Enjoy!
Read more20 September 2020
Belgian solar car wins European championship
Since this weekend, the Belgian Solar Team can call itself not only world champion but also European champion. The solar car BluePoint was the winner of the iLumen European Solar Challenge on Sunday at 1pm. The highest number of laps was thanks to a fast car and a strong strategy. This is the third win in a row for the Belgian Solar Team, after winning in Chile in 2018 and at the World Championship in Australia in 2019.
Read moreThe next challenge
In the weekend of 19 and 20 September 2020, the European Solar Challenge will take place at the circuit of Zolder in Belgium. The race is better known as the European Championship for solar cars and lasts 24 hours. ...
Read more1 May 2020
Sasol Solar Challenge postponed to February
The recent Coronavirus outbreak has brought many changes and uncertainty. Yesterday, we found out that the race in South Africa for which we have been working for almost a year is being postponed. That means we won't be racing in September this year, but the race will take place in February 2021.
Read more17 October 2019
A dream comes true
Today we took home the world title for the first time. We worked on the BluePoint for 15 months. It quickly became clear that it was a challenge and not a race, even some experienced teams didn't make it to the finish.
Read more16 October 2019
Wind drives us towards gold on the world championship
We have risen to second in the world championship for solar cars. But not in the way we had hoped, because Tuesday afternoon strong winds advanced that caused some dangerous situations.
Read more14 October 2019
Sailing to third place
We have climbed up to third place in the World Solar Car Championship. We are now 30 kilometres ahead of our pursuers, thanks to our optimised system for sailing with the wind.
Read more13 October 2019
First race day in Australia
After an impressive qualifying lap by our professional racing pilot Bert Longin, we started fourth in Darwin. We covered 633 kilometers today, which is 50 kilometers more than last year's edition. This is due to the fact that the BluePoint is lighter and more efficient than the previous car ...
Read more12 October 2019
Solar Team drives Belgian record during qualifications for World Cup
This article is only available in Dutch
Read moreWill Siemens lead the Agoria Solar Team to the win?
Thumbs up for Belgium 2 years ago, for their 3rd place in the bi-annual Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2017. This year, a team of 19 KU Leuven students aims at even topping that achievement. As the ‘Agoria Solar Team’, they want to take the BluePoint, that’s how the successor of the previous Punch 2 is called, straight to the win. Of course, that requires some design improvements. That’s where Siemens Digital Industries Software has been instrumental. Let’s have a look how!
Read more28 September 2019
Almost race ready
Saturday, two weeks before the race: this day was marked in our calendars as the infamous tinkerstop. This big deadline ensured that the team would stop adding extra modifications to the BluePoint and that the car would be completely race ready. After this deadline, we would only ...
Read more24 September 2019
Testing & playing soccer
After a successful first day of testing, we almost immediately moved on to the next one. Before the race, we try to drive many kilometers with the BluePoint to ensure that every new part works and is properly assembled. Between each test day, we have two days for maintenance to the car and to ...
Read more18 September 2019
First testing day in Australia
After the arrival of our solar car in Darwin, we immediately got to work to get the BluePoint ready before we would drive the first test kilometers. About a week and a half later, the car was completely ready to go to the track. At the moment, the tests are done on a runway because the BluePoint...
Read more11 September 2019
Arrived in Australia!
Since the very beginning of the project, we have been counting down the days to the beginning of September, to finally depart to Australia for the start of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Last week, the day finally came and we left Belgium for unknown territories! We arrived in Darwin, ...
Read more3 July 2019
The Belgian Solar Team proudly presents the BluePoint
On Wednesday the 3rd of July, we presented our brand new solar car. In exactly one year time we designed, produced and assembled the newest solar car, powered entirely by solar energy.
Read more8 May 2019
150 youngsters present their inventions during the 15th edition of the Solar Olympics
On Wednesday the 8th of May 2019, the Belgian Solar Team organised the 15th edition of the Solar Olympics. This is a competition in which secondary school students from all over Flanders are challenged to build an object on solar energy. During the finale, the youngsters showcased their result to a jury to win big prizes.
Read more26 April 2019
Solar Team organizes second partner event
Our team and progress relies on the support & feedback from over 150 partners in many different sectors. Last Thursday, we invited our partners to join us in the Antwerp Port House for our Partner Event. The theme of the evening: the four pillars of the Solar Team.
Read more27 February 2019
Punch Powertrain Solar Team becomes Agoria Solar Team
We have a very big announcement to make: we are proud to announce that we are now officially called the Agoria Solar Team and Punch Powertrain will pass the torch to Agoria as main sponsor of our team.
Read more10 January 2019
What's next?
2018 was a year of changes. After the third place in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October of 2017, the seventh Belgian Solar Team started recruiting the new team. A team of 20 students was elected to join and in July of 2018, they started their journey as the eight Belgian Solar Team. The first months...
Read more25 October 2018
Race Report CSA 2018
In October of 2018, we participated in the Carrera Solar Atacama, also referred to as the most extreme race for solar cars. We took part with the Punch 2, the solar car which had finished third in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge the year before. The race lasted five and a half days and took...
Read more26 October 2018
Bélgica quedó primero!
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Ja: het is zo ver, het Belgische Solar Team is eerste geëindigd! We zijn officieel als eerste over de finish van de Carrera Solar Atacama gereden, ver voor de andere teams.
25 October 2018
Casi al final
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Vlak voor het einde van de vierde racedag, dinsdag, besloten we de bergen in te trekken. Na onze controlestop in San Pedro de Atacama hebben we ongeveer een kwartiertje gereden voor we uitkwamen bij Llano de la Paciencia...
24 October 2018
La subida mas dificil
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Vier dagen zijn we onderweg, de tijd vliegt! In totaal hebben we al meer dan 1700 kilometers afgelegd. We hebben 4 controle stops gedaan, waardoor we 2 uur hebben bijgeladen én we hebben de hoogste bergtop in de race beklommen!
23 October 2018
Diez mil kilómetros
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Na de derde race dag in Chili staan we nog steeds aan de leiding én hebben we een persoonlijk record verbroken. Daarnaast legde de Punch 2 haar tienduizendste kilometer af, halverwege de meest extreme race ter wereld.
22 October 2018
Un resumen del primer y segundo dìa
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Ondertussen zitten de twee eerste racedagen in Chili er op. De Carrera Solar Atacama, beter bekend als de meest extreme race voor zonnewagens ter wereld, blijft ons verrassen met haar veelzijdigheid.
19 October 2018
En la víspera de la carrera
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Één dag voor de race in Chili zijn de laatste voorbereidingen volop aan de gang. Onze kwalificatie ronde liep niet zoals we hadden verdacht, waardoor we nu als laatste starten aan de race. No worries: niets is verloren en we mikken nog altijd op de eerste...
16 October 2018
En preparación para la carrera
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
Ondertussen zijn er nog vier dagen te gaan tot het begin van de Carrera Solar Atacama: de meest extreme race voor zonnewagens, 2500 kilometer dwars door Chili. De race start op zaterdag 20 oktober om 12 uur lokale tijd, wat overeen komt met 17 uur in België.
5 October 2018
¡Estamos en Chile!
(This article is only available in Dutch.)
¡Estamos en Chile!
Dag 1 in Chili zit er ondertussen op. Na 14,5 uur op het vliegtuig kwamen we, licht groggy door de jetlag, 's ochtends om kwart na acht aan in Santiago. De eerste kilometers op de Chileense weg waren verwarrend. Zoals het hoort in...
21 July 2018
Meeting King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
On Saturday the 21st of July, the Belgian Royal House celebrates the Belgian National Day. During this year's festivities in Brussels Park, we were invited to showcase the Punch II to the public. At the end of the day, we were honored by a visit from King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.
Read more12 October 2017
Race Report BWSC 2017
The qualifying round was driven with the Punch 2 by professional racing driver Bert Longin. 42 solar cars gathered at the start of the Hidden Valley circuit, with the Punch 2 last in line. All teams had only one chance to set the fastest time, which would decide their starting position in the...
Read more12 October 2017
Belgian Solar Team third in world championship for solar cars
The Belgian Solar Team won bronze in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. “We’ve put our heart and soul into this."
Read more11 October 2017
Belgium Solar Team conquers third place!
The Belgian Solar Team is third in the ranking of the world competition for solar cars in Australia. Today, the students of the University of Leuven overtook the team of the Japanese university of Tokai and the Dutch university of Twente. The team still has to drive 589 kilometers until Adelaide.
Read more10 October 2017
The Belgian Solar team is getting closer to the fourth place
On the third day of the world championship for solar cars, the Belgian Solar team is still ranked fifth. But the team is getting closer to the top four.
Read more9 October 2017
Belgian Solar Team climbs to fifth place in world championship
The Belgian solar car has gained one place in the ranking of the world competition for solar cars. The team is now ranked fifth.
Read more8 October 2017
Belgian solar car in sixth place at championship for solar cars after bad luck
The Solar Team is 6th at the championship for solar cars. Due to something that was dragging at the rear wheel, the team had to let some competitors go ahead.
Read more7 October 2017
Belgian Solar Team in pole position at championship for solar cars
The Belgian Solar Team earned the pole position at the world championship for solar cars in Australia. The car can start in the leading positioning.
Read more6 October 2017
Solar Team with secret weapon at the start of the solar race
On Sunday, we will start the World Championship with great confidence. We installed an innovative system which allows the car to benefit from the side wind.
Read moreBelgian Solar Team almost ready for Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
For 16 months, the 21 engineering students of the Punch Powertrain Solar Team have been looking forward to the world championship for solar cars that will start on the 8th of October in Australia. Seven days before the race they placed their solar panel, with the best solar cells in the world, on the car. The team hopes that this will help them to be ahead of the international competition during the race.
Read moreFinal preparations in Australia started great!
We continued working from the moment we've set foot on Australian soil! The battery pack is reassembled and the solar car was stripped to its core to give her new racing components. Meanwhile the testing period in Australia came closer every day.
Read morePunch 2 arrived in Australia!
We've arrived in Australia, time for a new update! We've had our last teambuilding in Belgium right before we left to Australia. The flight was good and we immediately started working once we arrived. Read this article to get to know more about our adventure!
Read moreBelgian Solar car is shipped to Australia for World Challenge
The Belgian Solar Team has worked 13 months on Punch 2, the solar car where the 21 engineering students will compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, starting on October 8th. Today the solar car was packed in its custom made crate and shipped to Australia by DHL Global Forwarding.
Read moreCar Presentation
We have revealed our brand new solar car. The seventh Belgian Solar Car is called the Punch Two and build in one year by 21 students from the KU Leuven.
Read morePunch Powertrain remains the main partner of the Solar Team.
Bert Longin joins us in the World Solar Challenge in Australia.
Article on news site "Autosport.be" published on November, 22 2016.
Read moreYoungsters choose for technology related education.
Article in Flemish newspaper "De Tijd" published on the 13th of October 2016.
Read moreSuddenly there is a solar car in our school.
Article in Flemish newspaper "HLN" published on the 10th of October 2016.
Read moreHigh-performance sustainability with bio-based epichlorohydrin
Article published in October edition JEC magazine. (2016)
Read moreSolar Team Twente wins European Championship for solar cars.
Article published in Flemish newspaper "De Standaard". on September 26, 2016.
Read moreKipkoech versus Longin: man against machine
Article published in Flemish newspaper "De Morgen"on november 7, 2016.
Read moreMan versus Machine on the Memorial van Damme
A unique competition between man and machine, driven in a packed stadium. The athlete starts better than us. Will the solar car be able to catch up?
Read moreSolar car provides energy for Pokemon hunters.
Article published in Flemish newspaper "De Morgen" August2, 2016.
Read moreThe new race to the sun
New team is selected, we're going for gold!
Read more22 October 2015
Race Report BWSC 2015
The Punch One was the sixth solar car of the Belgian team, with as main goal to optimize every aspect of the performance of the car. With this goal of “Perfecting Performance” in mind, the team left for Australia in September of 2015 to do some last preparations and tests before they could start...
Read more19 January 2015
Race Report ADSC 2015
After finishing sixth in the World Solar Challenge, the team wanted to go the extra mile to challenge their Indupol One once more. They traveled to Abu Dhabi to compete in the first (and only) edition of the Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge. As the Indupol One was originally built for the BWSC with...
Read more13 October 2013
Race Report BWSC 2013
The Indupol One is the fifth Belgian solar car. In Australia, the Indupol One finished sixth out of 42 teams and also took home the Innovation Award for the 3D-printed battery casing. The 2013 edition of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge went well for the team. The car, built with reliability...
Read more23 October 2011
Race Report BWSC 2011
The Umicar Imagine, the fourth Belgian solar car, was built from 2010 to 2011. It took part in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and finished tenth out of 37 participants, even though battery problems occurred during the race. This car incorporated top notch technologies to enhance...
Read more24 October 2009
Race Report BWSC 2009
The Umicar Inspire aimed for gold in the World Solar Challenge of 2009. After the previous team finished second in 2007, the team was convinced that the first place was within reach. The first day of the race went smooth, with the solar car making its way to second place. However, 380 kilometers...
Read more28 October 2007
Race Report BWSC 2007
The Umicar Infinity took part in the World Solar Challenge of 2007. Two years earlier, the Belgian team completed their first race with the Umicar One without any major issues and finished tenth. This was a good start and sparked enthusiasm in the second team. By using the information and ...
Read more2 October 2005
Race Report BWSC 2005
The Umicar One was the first solar car made by the Belgian Solar Team. It took part in the 2005 World Solar Challenge and finished tenth out of the 22 participants competing in the Challenger class. Considering it was the first time we ever competed in Australia, this was an impressive result...
Read more