Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The KU Leuven Solar Team is 16th in the World Solar Car Championship in Australia and will start tomorrow, Aug 24, 2025. They drive 3,000 kilometres self-sufficiently under logistics manager Alexander Nieto Rodriguez.
As VRT News reported, the KU Leuven Solar Team is in 16th place in the World Solar Car Championship in Australia. Tomorrow, on August 24, 2025, the KU Leuven Solar Team will start this next stage of the race at 7:53 am, 8 minutes behind the lead team from RWTH Aachen University in Germany. The race is set within the remoteness of the Australian Outback. The students will be driving every day from 8 am – 5 pm.
What challenges await the KU Leuven Solar team in the 3,000 km Australia race?
The team carry all their supplies in a container that works as a mobile workshop for the solar car. At the end of each day, the students set up tents at the same spot where they stop, sleeping and preparing for the next day. In their container, they handle all repairs and maintenance themselves.
“Tomorrow is the day,”
Said logistics manager Alexander Nieto Rodriguez.
“After 14 months of preparation, the team will begin its journey through the Australian Outback. The team will drive 3,000 kilometres to Adelaide.”
This edition of the race is held in the Australian winter for the first time. Teams will encounter extreme temperature differences along the route, from the tropical north to the cold south. The Innoptus Solar Team is scheduled to cross the finish line in Adelaide next Thursday, Aug 28, 2025.
The KU Leuven Solar Team has previously won the World Championship twice. The race involves technical skill, teamwork, and endurance, with each team following strict rules and schedules throughout the event.
The first official championship in Australia was held in 1987, covering a route from Darwin to Adelaide. Since then, the event has been organised roughly every 2 years, with teams from universities around the world participating.
The KU Leuven Solar Team first entered the competition in 2005 and won its first world title in 2011, followed by a second championship in 2015. Over the years, the race has introduced new challenges, such as extreme weather conditions and longer distances, including the current 3,000-kilometre course across the Outback.
