The intense 630-mile solar-powered road race

On July 19th, a fleet of high school teams will kick off a thrilling five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton, Texas. This isn’t your average competition; these students are the masterminds behind their own solar-powered vehicles, crafted from off-the-shelf components and 3D-printed parts. The ultimate goal? To rack up the most miles driven, powered solely by the energy of the Sun.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Solar Car Challenge, an event that unites high school students nationwide with the mission of creating the fastest and most efficient solar car. Founded in 1993 by Dr. Lehman Marks, a Texas educator passionate about STEM, the challenge equips students with essential skills like project management, budgeting, fundraising, and engineering. But at its core, it’s all about building a solar vehicle that can endure the race.

Dr. Marks started the Solar Car Challenge out of frustration with the state of STEM education in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He noticed his students were disengaged and uninspired by traditional textbook learning. Seeking to ignite their interest, he accepted an invitation from a friend at the University of North Texas, who was working on a collegiate solar car for a new competition. The experience captivated his students, who eagerly asked, “Doc, won’t you please let us build a solar car?”

Realizing that high school students would struggle to compete against college teams due to a lack of resources and expertise, he established the Solar Car Challenge specifically for them. The educational program launched in 1993, with the first national competition taking place in 1995.

Since then, the program has engaged over 85,000 students across 39 states and several countries, including Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, and Singapore. Currently, there are more than 260 active high school solar projects. The event alternates between on-track and cross-country formats, with this year’s race being a demanding 630-mile journey through Texas. Starting in Fort Worth, the route passes through towns like Palestine, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, and San Angelo, culminating in Fort Stockton, where local residents cheer on the teams.

“It’s not just about building a car,” Dr. Marks emphasizes. “It’s about learning how to drive that car. I’ve been telling the kids that before you even get here, you need to log 500 miles in your car. You need to know if it will break down, and if it does, let it happen in your own parking lot so you can fix it.”

The race features three main categories: classic, advanced, and electric-solar power, where teams race electric vehicles powered by stationary solar stations. This year introduces a new division called cruiser, where teams create four-seater vehicles with solar arrays integrated into the body.

The new division responds to years of inquiries about whether solar cars could resemble actual automobiles rather than just sleek, aerodynamic designs with drivers often tucked beneath large solar panels. Many of these vehicles look more like futuristic spacecraft than traditional cars.

Dr. Marks and the organizers want students to design solar-powered vehicles that resemble real passenger cars, complete with integrated solar cells, room for four passengers, four doors, and a trunk. This approach aims to showcase the practical applications of solar-powered transportation, helping people envision what future solar-assisted vehicles might look like.

“People would say, ‘Oh, this is really neat, but it’s not reality,’” he recalls. “Now we can show them what it could be. And I think that’s a step up.”

Blake Wood, a 17-year-old rising senior from Benbrook Middle-High School near Fort Worth, is one of the captains of the Old Rip Racing solar car team, one of the few independent teams in the race. Their 14-member team includes students from three different schools, which Wood believes is their greatest strength, fostering collaboration among students who might not otherwise meet.

The team began planning about a year before the competition, starting with paper sketches while studying successful cars from previous years in the Classic Division, aimed at first- and second-year teams. They analyzed what made those cars successful and incorporated those ideas into their designs. As the project progressed, they honed their computer-aided design (CAD) skills, turning hand-drawn concepts into digital models, making learning the design software part of the educational journey.

“I think our vehicle looks really nice,” Wood shares. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t get to see it all together very often; it feels like we’re always fixing or modifying something, then putting it back together, only to realize we need to weld another area or remove an electrical component.”

While battery-electric vehicles have gained mainstream traction, solar cars remain largely experimental. Many startups exploring solar technology have either shifted focus or gone under. However, Wood remains optimistic about the long-term potential of solar vehicles, believing that competitions like the Solar Car Challenge are crucial for exposing students to renewable energy technologies early on. As these participants enter their careers, they can continue to innovate and develop the technologies needed to make solar transportation a reality.

“We’re making progress,” Wood states. “We have a lot of high school students working on this, and with the right equipment and a bit more expertise, I think it could definitely be possible.”

Dr. Marks agrees, pointing to startups like Aptera that are still pursuing the dream of a mass-market solar car. However, he emphasizes that the true goal of the Solar Car Challenge has never been commercialization.

“People ask, ‘Are you trying to build a better solar car?’ Between you and me, I’m not,” he explains. “I’m focused on building capable students who learn about commitment, dedication to a project, teamwork, engineering, and battery technology. I’m trying to cultivate a workforce and develop future engineers.”