Solar car teams from around the world will gather in Belgium to put not only their vehicles’ reliability and energy efficiency to the test, but also their teams’ strategic capabilities. Estonia will be represented by Solaride’s third-season solar car, which finished second in the Cruiser Class at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia last year.

This year, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and the University of Tartu are contributing equally to Solaride’s efforts to achieve its goal. Together, the two universities are supporting the team, which brings together students from universities across Estonia, as it takes its next major step on the international solar car racing stage.

“Tallinn University of Technology is strategically involved in six international competition series for top university teams, with the aim of helping Estonian students become world champions. Formula Student achieved this goal two years ago, and now it is Solaride’s turn. Last time, Solaride narrowly missed out on victory.

The iLumen European Solar Challenge offers young people an excellent opportunity to test their solar car ahead of next year’s major competition and to challenge themselves in a real racing environment,” said Hendrik Voll, Vice-Rector for Endowment and Student Development at Tallinn University of Technology.

According to Kstina Noormets, Director for Administration at the University of Tartu, Solaride offers young people a unique opportunity to learn in an environment where every decision and solution affects the final result.

“The University of Tartu considers it important that students have the opportunity to participate in projects that combine knowledge, creativity and collaboration while challenging them to perform at their best. Such experience is a valuable complement to the knowledge acquired at university and gives the team a strong foundation for competing successfully in next year’s Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia.”

With the support of the universities, Solaride can continue developing Estonia’s young engineering talent and represent Estonia at Europe’s most prestigious solar car competition.

Solaride brings together students from universities across Estonia, giving them the opportunity to learn through practical experience. In addition to developing technical solutions, students gain experience in entrepreneurship, project management, marketing and teamwork. This interdisciplinary approach to learning helps prepare future engineers, supports research-based innovation and contributes to the development of sustainable technology.

Solaride is an interdisciplinary educational and collaboration programme launched in 2020 with the aim of developing future talent and promoting engineering education. Working together with Solaride members and mentors, Estonian universities, and organisations from the private and public sectors, the programme has built the first three solar cars in the Baltic states.