Reaching the Sahara Powered Only by the sun - Solar Team Eindhoven and the Off-Road Stella Terra

Solar Team Eindhoven is a team of 22 students who develop technological innovations in mobility. Every other year, a new group is formed at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The current team has just reached the Sahara with Stella Terra, the world’s first off-road solar car.

"Our shared goal is to create a sustainable future, where life is powered by the sun," Wisse Bos, team manager of Solar Team Eindhoven, tells Auto Futures.

Solar Team Eindhoven was founded more than a decade ago. The structure is not hierarchical, and the team manager position is all about managing wellbeing and the group dynamic.

"The first four teams have proven that a solar-powered family car is a present-day technology by winning the World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class, four times in a row. The former team, with Stella Vita, proved to the world that one does not need to limit themselves to the World Solar Challenge to inspire many people," explains Bos.

Starting from the north of Morocco, Stella Terra has driven over a thousand kilometers through various landscapes and terrains. It completed the journey to the Sahara, all powered by the sun.

The car collects solar energy using the solar panels on the roof.

"With these solar panels, and its robust construction, Stella Terra achieves complete independence in a sustainable manner, anywhere in the world. Stella Terra is road legal, has a top speed of 145 kilometers per hour, weighs only 1200 kilograms, and has a range of 710 kilometers on a sunny day. On average, the off-road range is 550 kilometers depending on the type of surface."

Stella Terra is road legal, has a limited top speed of 145 kilometers per hour,  and has a range of 710 kilometers on a sunny day. The battery capacity is 50 kWh. The off-road range is 550 km on a sunny day. 

“The efficiency of Stella Terra was hard to predict, meaning we were not sure whether we would make it on solar energy. While driving, we found that Stella Terra is 30% more efficient than expected," he says.

Free Charging

One of the main design challenges of Stella Terra was how to combine efficiency with the robustness that is required to navigate off-road terrain.

"This was the main challenge we had to solve, requiring with every component the balance between additional sturdiness but thus weight, or making it more lightweight. Because we design nearly all components ourselves, this gave us a lot of freedom to innovate from solutions that are currently offered on the market," says Bos.

The vehicle uses a combination of solar and battery electric. The allows for an incredible range with free charging via the sun.

"Because of the use of solar panels, the battery does not need to be as large as in conventional electric cars, saving weight and environmental impact. Stella Terra, being an off-road capable vehicle, is the perfect showcase for the freedom and independence that solar cars can offer, as it becomes independent of both charging and road infrastructure." 

Solar Team Eindhoven has a greater aim - to inspire both society and the current market to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.

"Our team of just 22 students manages to achieve these breakthrough innovations in such a short period of time with such limited resources. This is why we think that innovation can be accelerated within the established industry and with bigger automotive companies, and the resources that they have at their disposal," he says.

Adopting Solar

In September, 2024, a brand new team of students will start with their own project. 

"They, just like us, will have the complete freedom to choose their project and the challenges they want to tackle, I have no idea of what will be next. But I am confident that the innovation will continue," says Bos.

Finally, we asked him for his thoughts on what urban mobility will look like by the end of the decade.

"For 2030 we hope for a world that is powered by the sun and other forms of renewable energy. That more established manufacturers have adopted solar into their electric vehicles, taking stress of the grid and allowing for more efficient energy use," concludes Bos.