When the sun powers the race car: students develop the mobility of the future
A race car that reaches speeds of over 100 km/h powered solely by solar panels on its roof? It exists. As part of the ACE Solar Racing Team, ETH students are developing highly efficient, solar-powered vehicles that are pushing the boundaries of sustainable mobility.
How fast and how far can a vehicle travel using only the energy of the sun? ACE Solar Racing, ETH Zurich’s student-led solar racing team, is working to answer exactly that question.
Our team designs, builds, and tests highly efficient solar-powered vehicles that combine lightweight structures, advanced materials, aerodynamics, electronics, and renewable energy technologies. While solar race cars are developed for competition, they also serve as real-world laboratories for future sustainable transportation and energy-efficient engineering.
At our Scientifica booth, visitors can explore a solar racing vehicle up close and discover how sunlight is converted into motion. Team members will explain the key engineering challenges behind designing a vehicle that can travel long distances using only a limited amount of solar energy. You will learn how factors such as aerodynamics, weight reduction, energy management, and solar cell performance influence the vehicle’s efficiency.
Visitors will be able to examine components of the car, see examples of the technologies used in its development, and speak directly with the students who designed and built it. Through interactive demonstrations and discussions, we will show how engineering decisions affect performance and why efficiency is becoming increasingly important in the transition to sustainable mobility.
Whether you are interested in technology, renewable energy, racing, or simply curious about how solar-powered vehicles work, our booth offers a hands-on look at how students at ETH Zurich are tackling real engineering challenges and exploring new possibilities for the future of transportation.
