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The grueling, 630-mile road race where the only fuel is sunlight
On 19 July, dozens of teams of American high school students set off on a five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton, Texas, driving cars they built themselves that run solely on solar power. The Solar Car Challenge, marking its 30th anniversary this year, tasks students with designing and constructing their own vehicles using off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts, with the winning team being whichever accumulates the most driven miles. The contest aims to teach practical STEM skills such as engineering, budgeting, fundraising and project management, offering an alternative to conventional textbook learning.
The race was founded in 1993 by Texas educator Dr Lehman Marks, after a group of his disengaged students became captivated by a university solar car project and pushed him to let them build their own. Realising high schoolers could not fairly compete against better-resourced college teams, Marks created a dedicated competition for secondary students, which held its first national event in 1995. Since then, the programme has involved more than 85,000 students across 39 US states and several countries, including Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain and Singapore, and currently supports over 260 active high school solar car projects.
In short
- High schoolers race self-built solar-powered cars 630 miles across Texas.
- Solar Car Challenge marks its 30th anniversary, founded by Dr Lehman Marks in 1993.
- Programme has reached over 85,000 students in 39 states and beyond.
Explained simply
The Solar Car Challenge is a cross-country racing competition for American high school students who design and build their own vehicles powered entirely by sunlight. Teams compete over a 630-mile course across Texas, with victory going to whichever team drives the most miles over five days.
The competition was founded in 1993 by Texas educator Dr Lehman Marks after his students became inspired by a university solar car project. Recognising that secondary students needed a competition of their own rather than competing unfairly against better-resourced college teams, Marks created the dedicated high school championship, which held its first national event in 1995.
The race teaches young people practical skills in engineering, budgeting, fundraising and project management as they design and construct their vehicles. Since its inception, the programme has engaged more than 85,000 students across 39 American states and several other countries, supporting over 260 active high school solar car projects globally.