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Solas, the team’s green solar car, on the track at Circuit Zolder

Solas

Race car · 2026

All cars

2026

Race car

Weight
240 kg
Top speed
130 km/h

Our current car and Ireland’s first solar race car, built to the iLumen European Solar Challenge rules. Solas ran the full 24 hours at Circuit Zolder in September 2026: 159 laps, 639 km and 7th in class.

  1. 1st

    Ireland’s first solar race car

    Designed and built by DCU Solar Racing’s students over four years. Its name is the Irish word for light.

  2. +100 km

    In testing

    More than 100 km over two days at Kirkistown Race Circuit, and on one drive it generated more energy than it used.

  3. 639km

    The full 24 hours at Zolder

    159 laps at the iLumen European Solar Challenge in September 2026.

  4. 7th

    In class

    At our first iLumen European Solar Challenge, at Circuit Zolder in Belgium.

Technical details

How the car is built, system by system.

  1. 01

    Aerodynamics

    Solas is a long, low single-seater shaped like a bullet: a wide, thin solar deck over a narrow hull that tucks in underneath, with a small canopy just ahead of the middle. Every surface is there to cut drag, so more of the sun's energy goes into moving the car. We proved the shape at speed at the European Solar Challenge.

    Solar array area
    6m^2
    Body shape
    Bullet Design
    Aeroshell material
    Carbon fibre
    Solas’s low, teardrop body in profile on the track at Circuit Zolder

  2. 02

    Composites & chassis

    The body is built from lightweight composite materials, so the car carries as little weight as possible for the sun to move. The manufacturing of both the aeroshell and chassis were completed in house in DCU. The chassis stiff yet light body was our first ever attempt at a composite component.

    Chassis type
    Monocoque
    Chassis material
    Carbon Fibre
    Chassis weight
    35kg
    Solas’s composite body shell with the solar array lifted off, outside the garage at Zolder

  3. 03

    Solar array

    A custom solar array covers the whole top deck, from the nose to the straight rear edge, in modules laid across the full width of the car. Each cell is one of the cells supporters can adopt on our Support page.

    Cell type
    Monocrystalline Silicon
    Number of cells
    375
    Array area
    6m^2
    Cell efficiency
    ~24.1%
    Peak power
    ~1.5kWh
    Solas’s solar array tilted up to the sun beside a wind turbine at Kirkistown

  4. 04

    Electrical & battery

    Solas runs on sunlight and the energy stored in its battery pack. At Zolder the rules allowed nine 20-minute charging stops across the 24 hours, so managing the pack between stops was as important as driving.

    Battery chemistry
    Li-ion
    Battery capacity
    2.88kWh
    Battery weight
    29kg
    MPPTs
    ~98% efficent
    Number of cells
    240
    Team members working on the electronics inside the opened car

  5. 05

    Motor & drivetrain

    An electric hub motor drives the car. Over the 24 hours at Zolder it kept Solas running at all times showing how efficiency can meet reliability.

    Motor
    Custom direct drive motor
    Motor efficiency
    ~98.5%
    Top speed
    ~110kph
    A team member checking the wheel and drivetrain of Solas in the garage

  6. 06

    Suspension, steering & brakes

    Front suspension
    Double Wishbone
    Rear suspension
    Trailing arm monoshock
    Tyres
    Bridgestone
    Solas on display on its stand at the Bridgestone sign

  7. 07

    Software & telemetry

    Our own telemetry sends the car's speed, power and solar input to the garage live, so the strategy team can plan every stint and every charging stop. The driver races with a display in front of them and cruise control, which was on for about two thirds of the race at Zolder. The same data drives the lap-by-lap replay on our iLumen race page.

    The strategy team watching live telemetry on screens in the garage