Champion of the Italian Solar Challenge

The Italian Solar Challenge takes place on the Formula 1 track in Imola for the first time. The race itself consists of two 4-hour stints. Between these two, the teams are allowed to charge their solar vehicles in the sun. The Covestro Photon proves its technical excellence during the race. When the on-board computer suddenly goes out two hours before the end of the race, Team Sonnenwagen Aachen proves its true qualities. Thanks to good preparations, the team has spare parts ready for many of their components. So the electrical engineers replace the on-board computer within a few minutes and the Covestro Photon finishes the race with a total of 89 laps. Team Sonnenwagen wins the Italian Solar Challenge.

Best TechTalk

Besides the new race procedure for the team from Aachen, there is a new, additional category, a TechTalk. In this category Lina, 1st chairwoman presents the technical innovations and concepts behind the Covestro Photon. The presentation is held on a high technical level in front of Ducati engineers and Team Sonnenwagen Aachen achieves a score of 96%. With this score, the team from Aachen is the best performer and takes first place in this category.

Road to Italy

Well rested from the past race weekend, Team Sonnenwagen Aachen sets off for Italy. The first leg of the journey goes to Stuttgart. Here the team meets up with their partner Mercedes Benz. The Covestro Photon is displayed in front of the canteen and the employees are fascinated by the student project. The team was particularly pleased about the technical exchange with the Mercedes EQXX team. The two teams already met in Aachen for technical workshops and are now continuing the partnership in Mercedes' hometown to learn more from each other. The Mercedes EQXX is also a solar-powered vehicle, with some similarities in the requirements and technical components. After three wonderful days in Stuttgart, the Motorcade continues with two trailers to Imola, Italy. In Italy, Team Sonnenwagen is pleased to receive further visits from their partners BearingPoint and BayWa r.e, who will accompany the team throughout the race and thus get to admire the Covestro Photon in action.

About Sonnenwagen Aachen

Team Sonnenwagen Aachen exists as a registered association since September 2015 and consists of 55 dedicated students from RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen. This season's goal is to design and manufacture a solar-powered electric vehicle and compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2023 - an emission-free race across the outback of Australia. As the only German team, the Aachen students will compete with other international teams on the 3022 km route. The central motivation behind the participation in the race is to raise awareness in society for the topic of sustainable mobility, as well as the will to contribute to the development of appropriate technologies.