Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, or BWSC, is the world's most well-known solar car race. A biennial road race covering 3021 kilometers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin in the North to Adelaide in the South of Australia. The race was created to foster the development of experimental, solar-powered vehicles.
The next edition of the race will start in 2025.
Teams from around the world take part in the race, most of which come from universities. The race has a 37-year history with 15 editions taking place after the first one in 1987. The first solar car to ever win the race was the General Motor's Sunraycer, who drove an average speed of 66.9 km/h.
General Motor's Sunraycer, the first solar car to ever win the BWSC.
Since 2013, the race has two classes: one of which the "Challenger Class". Challengers are one-seated solar vehicles, built for efficiency. They do not carry anything that does not directly contribute to the speed and efficiency of the solar car, for example airconditioning for the pilot. The second class is the "Cruiser Class", where practically usable and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles are built. Both classes have a different set of rules, to ensure a safe and fair race. It is in the first class, the Challenger Class, that the Innoptus Solar Team has been taking part for over 19 years.
 Solar car in the "Challenger Class" |  Solar car in the "Cruiser Class" |
In the 2023 edition, 42 teams from all over the world drove from Darwin to Adelaide. Among these teams were many of the world's biggest and most prestigious universities, such as TU Delft, Stanford, MIT, ... The BluePoint, the eight Belgian solar car, was the first to cross the finish line in 2019 and so the Innoptus Solar Team won their first victory in Australia, followed by a second victory in 2023 by the tenth Belgian solar car, the Infinite.
The next edition will start October 2025. You can follow our journey to Australia on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & X.
Want to find out more about the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge? Take a look at their website!