With the solar car 2500 kilometers through the sahara in morocco

the twente solar team at the zolder race track in belgium last year. © solar team twente

"our world needs more sustainable transport and new technologies. we are developing the most efficient solar car because we believe that there has to be a change and that we can be the change", writes solar team twente on its homepage its drive in developing a solar car. To know where the team of students from the saxion University of Applied Sciences in enschede and the university of twente stands, it is important to make comparisons at the international level.

World Cup in australia cancelled

So this year it was actually supposed to go to the world championship in australia. the cancellation of the bridgestone world solar challenge, the world championship in australia, due to corona was a "heavy blow for the team," says team leader colin van laar.

But the team didn’t bury their heads in the sand, they looked for alternatives and found them in the sand of the sahara, so to speak. In morocco there is a race this year in which the dutch want to participate, the solar challenge morocco.

there the students meet teams from all over the world. During the rally, the students – according to the plan – will drive through the sahara and a total of around 2500 kilometers with their solar car.

route poses new challenges for team

The track is a good alternative to the cancelled event and comparison in the australian outback, but it also holds many challenges for the solar team. In the outback, the team from the netherlands was already successful in an earlier edition of the world championship for solar cars.

Over the past year and a half, the 19 students have used the experience they gained in australia to "design and build a world-class solar car," according to the team’s website. Now it’s time to adapt the vehicle for the conditions in the sahara desert. This much is clear: the rally through 2500 kilometers of Moroccan desert will push the solar cars and their teams to their limits. But there will definitely not be a lack of sunshine needed for the operation of the cars.

© solar team twente © solar team twente

the race has five stages, it starts and ends in the port city of agadir and will mainly cover the southern part of morocco along the foothills of the atlas mountains and the edge of the sahara desert. The winner will be the one who covers the total distance in the shortest time with his solar car.

the students named their car RED horizon. the solar car was originally developed for the conditions in the flat australian outback. For the race in morocco the team revises the design of the electric motor. background: the upcoming route also includes larger differences in altitude.

• when the race will start in morocco depends on the corona situation and related travel advisories and travel restrictions.

the new local sports newsletter for munsterland

the most important news from local sports is sent directly to your e-mail box every tuesday and friday at 6:30 p.m.

Information on data processing within the scope of the newsletter can be found here.