iLumen European Solar Challenge

The iLumen European Solar Challenge, also known as iESC or 24 hours iLumen European Solar Challenge powered by Circuit Zolder is a biannual race that takes place at the former F1 track of Circuit Zolder in Belgium. 

The next edition of the race will take place on 21 & 22 September 2024.

Not only is the iESC a race on our home turf, it is also the only 24 hours endurance race for solar cars in the world. The solar cars face typical Belgian weather (rain, clouds and little sunshine) and also drive during the night. To recharge their batteries, the solar cars can make a maximum of three stops for charging. This way, the race becomes a game of strategy: how fast can we drive during the night without depleting our battery?

For the first time, our team will be participating with the BluePoint Atlas. We will defend our double European title. The solar cars will be racing on the former Formula 1 track of Zolder in Belgium. The track has a length of 4 km and offers a lot of challenging corners, which is why it is loved by many famous race car drivers. 

More than 20 teams from all over Europe will participate in the event, with multiple of them driving two solar cars. Last year we managed to drive more than 300 laps within 24 hours.

The number of laps is not the only scoring criteria during the race. For challenger solar cars, such as the BluePoint, the following challenges are used to calculate the total score:

• Number of laps (75%)
• Dynamic parcour before the race (20%)
• Fastest lap during the race (5%)

These different disciplines make the race more versatile. Let's hope to win as many as possible!

Want to find out more about the iLumen European Solar Challenge? Take a look at their website!