A student-built, solar-powered EV has wowed scientists and fans alike after its incredible performance at the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia.
According to Interesting Engineering, a team of students from Hong Kong's Vocational Training Council won the race's Cruiser class in the Sophie 8X.
The ultralight car focused heavily on efficiency and self-sustainability, and it weighed less than half of what the average Tesla does, clocking in between 880 and 1,760 pounds in its weight class. The 3,000-kilometer (1,864-mile) route travels between Darwin and Adelaide, straight across the heart of the Outback.
The Sophie featured a battery pack that weighed just 88 pounds, and the car had six square meters of solar cells on its roof that served the dual purpose of charging its batteries and running the vehicle.
Efficiency was the name of the game for the Sophie; its custom-built motors reduced energy consumption at cruising speeds of 62 miles per hour, meaning that during overnight periods, or periods when they had to rely more heavily on their battery packs than their solar panels, they were consuming less energy than other motors would have.
That efficiency proved crucial down the stretch, as the Sophie finished the race in 44 hours but was just four minutes ahead of the team that finished in second place.
Even more impressive, the Sophie was classified as street legal in Hong Kong, a designation that is incredibly rare for cars in this race.
Ultimately, the Sophie's success and unique design are a testament to how far EV design and innovation have come in recent years. Its ability to prioritize efficiency and produce impressive results in such a lightweight design illustrates that the future of EVs is bright.
If you want to make your next car an EV, now is the perfect time to do it. And pairing that car with solar panels can save you even more money and reduce your carbon footprint even further. EnergySage's free tools can get you quotes from vetted local installers and can save you up to $10,000 on new panels.
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