Solar car built by students hits the stage for the first time

On April 25, the Solaride III Enefit solar car was unveiled for the first time in the underground car park of the Delta building at the University of Tartu. Over 1.5 years, more than 30 students from various universities and secondary schools, all members of the Solaride engineering team, contributed to the construction of the solar car.

In addition to engineers, other members of the education programme from the marketing, human resources, finance, training and development teams also contributed to the completion of the solar car.

‘The Solaride project brings together both technology and engineering knowledge. It is important to involve young people in cutting-edge educational programmes that push them towards engineering. In addition to educational institutions and mentors, Solaride is backed by a number of companies and individuals who believe in solar cars and the development of e-mobility in general and support this journey. This is our contribution that creates a future where young people have the opportunity to experiment and realise even the boldest ideas,’ said Kristjan Kuhi, member of the management board of Eesti Energia.

The completed car will represent Estonia at the World Solar Car Championship in Australia in August this year. The team's goal is to achieve first place in the cruiser class at the World Championship.

‘Teams that have completed many test kilometres have a big advantage in the competition. We can now put the solar car to the test on Estonian roads before we fly it to Australia,’ said Mikk Saarmann, project manager of the Solaride competition team.

Solaride's third solar car has a top speed of 120 km/h and an engine power of 3.6 kW. The battery pack has a capacity of 15.2 kWh and the car is powered by charging and solar energy. For this purpose, there are 4 m² of solar panels on the roof and rear of the car. The solar car has a range of 750 km and a drag coefficient of 0.13. The solar car is a two-seater in accordance with the competition rules.

Solaride is an interdisciplinary educational programme launched in 2020, which develops solar cars with the aim of teaching future talents and popularising engineering education. In cooperation with Solaride members, mentors, Estonian universities, and private and public sector institutions, the first, second, and third solar cars in the Baltics have been completed.