Belgian solar car clears inspection at World Solar Challenge
Tuesday, 19 August 2025 - Today, the Innoptus Solar Team successfully passed the technical inspection with their solar car, the Infinite Apollo, in the run-up to the world championship in Australia. Their secret weapon, “The Bounce”, also got the green light. For the first time, the competition will take place during the Australian winter, which means less solar energy will be available. To compensate for this, teams are allowed to use a solar panel that is 50% larger than in the previous edition. This change has a major impact on the design of the cars.
Scrutineering
Today, the technical inspection, also known as scrutineering, was on the agenda for the team. During this inspection, the solar cars are checked to ensure they comply with all the competition regulations, with particular attention paid to the safety of the driver. The Infinite Apollo, the solar car built by KU Leuven students, passed the inspection with flying colours. The engineering students are now fully prepared to start their qualifying round on Saturday. The result of this will determine the starting order for Sunday's race.
"We are at scrutineering today and we are very happy that we passed. Scrutineering is a check by the organisation in which the car is thoroughly inspected to ensure that we comply with all the rules. At the moment, we are mainly looking forward to Saturday, when the qualifier will take place to determine the starting order for the race."
Wout Rubbrecht (24, Vosselaar), Team Manager at the Innoptus Solar Team
Innovations
For the first time, the competition will take place during the Australian winter. In order to capture sufficient solar energy, teams are allowed to use a solar panel with a surface area of 6 m² instead of 4 m² this year. This change in the regulations has a major impact on the design of the solar cars. The engineering students also made several other important changes compared to their previous model. For example, the team is using two fins for the first time, which allow them to take full advantage of crosswinds at any wind angle through the sail effect.
"This is our first time driving in the Australian winter. As a result, the incoming energy from the sun is slightly lower than we are used to. Thanks to the organisation's new regulations, we have been allowed to use a larger solar panel. The difference is very noticeable in the various solar cars that we are seeing here for the first time."
Sam Dilmaghanian (24, Overijse), Electronic Engineer at the Innoptus Solar Team
However, the Belgian team's secret weapon is “The Bounce”: a system that allows them to lower their solar car. This reduces air resistance and therefore energy consumption. When the car has to drive over rough road surfaces or obstacles, the students can raise it again to prevent damage.
"This year, there was a new rule requiring us to be able to drive over a certain threshold height rather than having to comply with a ride height requirement as in previous editions. That is why we chose to put “The Bounce”, our latest innovation, in the car this year. This is actually a system that allows us to adjust the ride height of our car, enabling us to drive over a threshold in a high position and then lower the car for more stability and aerodynamic gains."
Lander Deprez (21, Tienen), Mechanical Engineer at the Innoptus Solar Team
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge takes place every two years and takes teams from all over the world from Darwin to Adelaide, right across the Australian Outback. During this journey, they cover a distance of 3,021 kilometres. The competition is considered the unofficial world championship of solar car racing.
The Innoptus Solar Team takes on this challenge every year by developing innovative solutions that perfectly meet the unique requirements of solar car racing. Whether it's new materials, techniques or groundbreaking designs, innovation is at the heart of everything the Belgian team does.
On Saturday, the students will drive their qualifying round to determine the starting order. The race starts on Sunday. The team members hope to cross the finish line in Adelaide on Thursday.
