Retired Cars
The University of Minnesota's Solar Vehicle Project was founded in 1990 and has since completed 15 cars. The Solar Vehicle Project has competed in over 30 racing events, place top 2 in our class for over 15 of those events. Our cars have traveled to five nations across three continents - Australia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and of course, the United States of America. Typically, a new car is designed and built every two years. To read about our exploits in more detail, go to our archives.
Freya is the our team's most practically ambitious vehicle ever built as it was designed as a four-seater. Originally intended for the World Solar Challenge (WSC) 2019, manufacturing delays and the impact of COVID-19 postponed its debut until the American Solar Challenge (ASC) 2021. Freya became our first cruiser to compete in two ASCs. It also continued the tradition started with Eos II by also participating in the Midwest Solar Challenge alongside Iowa.
American Solar Challenge 2021:
• Finished in 2nd place despite a battery fire on day 3 that led us to retrofit a battery pack from an older car
• 1st place in FSGP
• “Spirit of the Event” award
American Solar Challenge 2022:
• Finished in 1st in ASC – the team’s first 1st place finish ever in the road race event
• 2nd place in FSGP
• Raced officially as a two-seater, and modified the rear passenger area into a trunk/cargo space
• “Abe Poot Teamwork Award” for helping out other teams on the track and on the road race and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship/teamwork
• Blew the competition away during practicality judging by fitting 14 checked-bag size luggages into our cargo space
• Ran the most reliable race of our team’s recent history
Eos II is the third cruiser class solar car the UMNSVP has designed and built. The team took the lessons learned from Eos I and improved almost all aspects into Eos II. Being unveiling in 2017, Eos II was the first car the team was able to freight ship to the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The team finished fifth overall. Eos II was branded “the commuter car of the future” and had much focus on practicality without sacrificing aerodynamic efficiency.
Eos II achieved a 1st place victory in the Formula Sun Grand Prix as well as a 2nd place in the American Solar Challenge. In the time in America, the team showed its colors in the solar car community by hosting a Midwest Solar Challenge, inviting the Iowa State solar car team to race from St Paul, MN to Ames, IA
Eos II was then raced yet again in the 2019 BWSC, being the first Minnesota Solar Car to race in Australia twice. At this event the team achieved 5th place.
Active 2015-2016
Eos I is the second Cruiser Class vehicle built by the Solar Vehicle Project. Designed for the World Solar Challenge 2015, Eos I was unveiled in the summer of 2015. Eos I was the only North American competitor in the World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class, finishing fifth overall. The Eos series reflects in the growth of UMNSVP's focus, from pure performance towards practicality and applicability. Eos I went on to be the only Cruiser Class vehicle to qualify for the Formula Sun Grand Prix or the American Solar Challenge in 2016 and the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project used our experience to pave the way for more American innovation in the Cruiser Class.
World Solar Challenge 2015
• 5th Place in Cruiser Class
Formula Sun Grand Prix 2016 (Pittsburgh, PA)
• 4th Place Overall
American Solar Challenge 2016 (Dayton, OH to Hot Springs, SD)
• 10th Place Overall
• "Spirit of the Event" Award
Active 2013
Daedalus marks a major design change for the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project because it is the first vehicle built by the team that is capable of carrying two passengers. In 2013, the World Solar Challenge offered new class of solar racing for the first time – the Cruiser Class. This class featured vehicles that could carry two to four passengers, were allowed to charge off of the electric grid at three locations along the race route, and were compared based off of total energy consumption, practicality, and passenger-kilometers in addition to race-clock time. The team placed 4th in the competition out of 11 teams.
In addition to having two passengers, Daedalus sported two motors designed and hand-wound by team members. The team tried out a new motor sensor and custom motor controllers. Although this combination did not work out perfectly, it was a great learning experience for the team. The World Solar Challenge, takes place every odd year and is a 3000 kilometer trek from Darwin to Adelaide on the Stuart Highway across the Australian outback. The team faced and surmounted the logistical challenges of shipping Daedalus and the race crew overseas for a month of testing and racing the car in Australia.
World Solar Challenge 2013
• 4th Place Cruiser Class
Active 2012-2014
Centaurus III is the most aerodynamic vehicle out of the first 11 the project has built. The thorough design cycle of Centaurus III cut into the build time, resulting in less testing than on previous vehicles. Despite the time crunch, the team and car placed 6th in the 2012 Formula Sun Grand Prix and 5th in the 2012 American Solar Challenge. The vehicle used a motor designed and built by the team, titled the Uber motor, on these races. In addition to this, this was the first time that the team used the Panasonic 18650B lithium ion battery cells, which are commonly used in laptops and in vehicles made by Tesla. Mechanically, Centaurus III was very complex due the thin cross sections of the vehicle.
The vehicle was retired during the design and build of Daedalus, and two-person vehicle which raced in the World Solar Challenge 2013, but it was brought out of retirement to race in the Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge 2014. The team placed 3rd and 2nd respectively in the two events. For these races, the electrical system was entirely replaced for improved reliability. In addition to this, the exterior of the vehicle was vinyl-wrapped for improved aerodynamics and a new parking brake was designed so that the vehicle would comply with new regulations.
Formula Sun Grand Prix 2012
• 6th Place Overall
American Solar Challenge 2012 ( Rochester, New York to St.Paul, Minnesota)
• 5th Place Overall
Formula Sun Grand Prix 2014
• Tied for 3rd Place Overall
American Solar Challenge 2014 (Austin, Texas to Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• 2nd Place Overall
Active 2010-2011
Centaurus II is the University of Minnesota’s 9th solar vehicle. The car and team took 2nd place in the 2010 American Solar Challenge. In addition to this, Centaurus II is one of the most electrically reliable cars the team has ever built. At the 2010 American Solar Challenge, the team was proud to receive the award for Electrical Excellence. Centaurus 2 weights 390lbs without a driver; it is one of the lightest cars that the teams has ever built.
Building off of Centaurus I, which had a flat bottom, Centaurus 2 utilizes a curved underside to allow for a thinner main body section and improved aerodynamics. Traditionally, solar vehicle drivers have driven while laying down, as this has the least aerodynamic affect of the performance of the vehicle. However, starting with Centaurus I, the regulations have required upright driver seating. The Centaurus II aerodynamics team deviated significantly from past designs to accommodate this.
In addition to upright driver seating, Centaurus II was the first vehicle the team has produced with a solar array covered by a new, proprietary 3M anti-reflective encapsulation process which captures ambient light more effectively. Centaurus III and Daedalus also utilize this encapsulation method.
Formula Sun Grand Prix 2010
• 3rd Place Overall
• Fastest Lap
American Solar Challenge 2010 (Broken Arrow, OK to Naperville, IL)
• 2nd Place Overall
• Electrical Excellence Award
Formula Sun Grand Prix 2011
• 1st Place Overall
Active 2008-2009
Centaurus is the 8th car in the Solar Vehicle Project’s history. Built to compete in the 2400-mile long 2008 North American Solar Challenge, it looks quite different than all of our previous vehicles. This was prompted by altered race regulations, which required upright driver seating. Despite electronics problems the night before the start of the race, and rainy weather throughout the event, Centaurus was able to complete the entire race under its own power to finish in a respectable 5th place overall, and 2nd in the silicon class. The following summer, Centaurus blew away the competition at the 2009 Formula Sun Grand Prix in Cresson, Texas. The Centaurus team prided themselves on being prepared, passing technical inspection midway through the first day of a three-day process in 2008, and half a day into a two-day process in 2009. On both occasions, they were the first team through inspection.
2008 North American Solar Challenge (Plano, Texas, USA, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
• 5th Place Overall
• 2nd Place, Stock Class
• Espirit de Corps
• Fastest Lap
• Best Prepared
• Best Workmanship
• Excellence in Mechanical Design
2009 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 1st Place Overall
Active 2005-2006
Borealis III is the 7th car built by the UMNSVP. Where the Borealis II team had concentrated on reliability, the mantra for Borealis III was “weight savings”. The team went to great lengths to cut as much weight out of the car as they could, and their efforts paid off when they arrived at the 2005 Formula Sun with a car that weighed a bare 400 pounds. The team took home first place from Formula Sun that year, and set their sights on the 2005 North American Solar Challenge, a 2500-mile race from Austin, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. The team led significant portions of the race, including the crossing from the USA to Canada, and earned Second Place Overall. Borealis III has been used several times in the years since, taking 4th place in the 2006 World Solar Rally in Taiwan, and as a rolling electronics testbed for Centaurus 2.
2005 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 1st Place Overall
• Espirit de Corps
• Fastest lap
2005 North American Solar Challenge (Austin, Texas, USA to Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
• 2nd Place Overall
2006 World Solar Rally (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
• 4th Place Overall
Active 2003-2004
Borealis II was the Projects sixth generation car. Built as an evolutionary design that stressed reliability and raced by a primarily all-new race crew, the 2003 team was the first for the UMNSVP to take First Place Overall in a race at Formula Sun 2003. By improving upon new technologies from the Borealis I car, the reliability of Borealis II came to be its defining characteristic. The car went on to overcome adversity two months later at the American Solar Challenge, when damage to the chassis threatened to end the race for the team. The car and team pushed ahead with repairs and finished Second Place Overall completing the 2300-mile route that started in Chicago, Il and ended in Claremont, CA. In May of 2004, a new team of returning and new team members took Second Place at Formula Sun 2004 in Topeka, KS.
2003 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 1st Place Overall
• Pole Position
• Ironman Competition (Tire Change) Winner
• Pit Crew Competition Winner
2003 American Solar Challenge (Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California)
• 2nd Place Overall
2004 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 2nd Place Overall
Active 2001-2002
Borealis was the team’s 5th generation solar powered race car. The Borealis team incorporated radical improvements into the vehicle from the initial concept to final design. The team raced Borealis in the 2001 inaugural American Solar Challenge along historic Route 66 from Chicago to L.A. Borealis and the team overcame initial difficulties and climbed to a 6th place overall finish. Borealis also raced in the 2002 Formula Sun Grand Prix where it placed 2nd overall.
2001 Formula Sun Grand Prix (Heartland Park)
• 12th Place Overall
2001 American Solar Challenge (Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California)
• 6th Place Overall
2002 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 2nd Place Overall
Active 1999
Aurora IV’s design was founded on the successful innovations of Aurora III& Aurora II. After taking 4th place in Sunrayce 99, Aurora IV raced in the World Solar Challenge, the premier event in solar car racing. In the World Solar Challenge, Aurora IV captured another 4th place finish in the Cutout Class of vehicles.
Sunrayce ’99 (Washington, DC to Epcot Center, Orlando, Florida)
• 4th Place Overall
1999 World Solar Challenge (Darwin, Australia to Adelaide, Australia)
• 4th Place, Cutout Class
Active 1997-2000
Aurora III has a top speed of 78 mph, runs 55 mph on the power of a hairdryer and can travel over 120 miles without any sun! Four out of the nine days of Sunrayce 97, the Aurora III finished in the top three while also unofficially beating its old average daily speed record of 50.4 mph to the unprecedented 51.6 mph averaged over 150 miles. Aurora III also won the Junior Class Championship at the 1998 World Solar-Car Rallye, while coming in 7th overall out of 81 registered cars. It placed higher than many cars in the free class, where unlimited funds can be spent. With Aurora III, the team continued in its tradition of dramatically improving the car’s efficiency compared to its predecessors. The project consistently produces vehicles capable of competing with world-class teams.
Sunrayce ’97 (Indianapolis, Indiana to Colorado Springs, Colorado)
• 11th Place Overall (36 competing)
1998 World Solar Rallye (Akita, Japan)
• Junior Class Champion
• 7th Place Overall (81 competing)
2000 Formula Sun Grand Prix
• 2nd Place Open Class
• 3rd Place Overall
Active 1995
Aurora II won second place in Sunrayce 95, only eighteen minutes behind the winning car and more than three hours ahead of the third-place entry. Three times during the race Aurora II broke the Sunrayce record for daily average speed and set a record of 50.4 miles per hour. In addition, its elegant shape won the EDS Award for Best Use of Aerodynamics in Design. The team’s success earned an invitation to compete with seventy-nine of the world’s best solar car at the World Solar Rallye in Japan, where Aurora II placed second in the junior class and ninth overall.
Sunrayce ’95 (Indianapolis, Indiana to Aurora, Colorado)
• 2nd Place Overall
• Best Daily Average Speed (50.4 mph)
• Awarded “EDS Best use of Aerodynamics in Design”
1995 World Solar Rallye (Akita, Japan)
• 2nd Place, Junior Class
• 9th Place Overall (79 competing)
Active 1993
The extraordinary success of Aurora II in Sunrayce 95 would not have been possible without the knowledge and experience gained through the design, construction and racing of Aurora I in Sunrayce 93. A group of undergraduate students formed the Solar Vehicle Project in the wake of the GM Sunrayce USA 1990. The project’s first solar car, Aurora I, placed 21st in a field of 36 in Sunrayce 93 and won the SAE Design Excellence in Engineering Safety Award. As they raced, the students who built Aurora I began to plan how they would use the lessons of the race to design a better solar car. The ideas generated then became the premise to design and build Aurora II.
Sunrayce ’93 (Arlington, Texas to Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• 21st Place Overall (36 competing)
• “SAE Design Excellence in Engineering Safety”