{"id":42859,"date":"2026-04-27T11:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/?p=42859"},"modified":"2026-04-27T11:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:36:16","slug":"uf-solar-gators-unveil-sleeker-sun-racer-to-go-the-distance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/ece\/uf-solar-gators-unveil-sleeker-sun-racer-to-go-the-distance\/","title":{"rendered":"UF Solar Gators unveil sleeker sun racer to go the distance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<li>The UF Solar Gators unveiled Flare on April 17, a redesigned solar-powered race car with improved endurance, efficiency and reliability.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The team will compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Minnesota and the American Solar Challenge this summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building on years of progress, the team upgraded Flare\u2019s solar array, battery system and overall design.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With a black cloth draped over months of work, anticipation built earlier this month as the University of Florida\u2019s Solar Gators prepared to reveal the next evolution of their solar-powered race car.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the cover finally dropped, applause and possibility filled the room as Flare \u2014 sleeker, larger and reengineered \u2014 marked the team\u2019s latest step toward competing on the national stage this summer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The student-built vehicle will compete in the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), a multi-day endurance race where teams aim to complete the most laps powered entirely by the sun, and the American Solar Challenge (ASC), a cross-country road race testing reliability, efficiency and strategy over thousands of miles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flare is the latest step in the Solar Gators\u2019 steady progression on the national stage. Since debuting their first car, Torch, in 2017 with just three miles completed at FSGP, the team has steadily improved with each design. Celio followed in 2018, increasing endurance to 200 miles, before Sunrider helped propel the team to a first-place finish at FSGP in 2023 and a full cross-country debut at ASC in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flare, introduced in 2025, continued that momentum with a fastest-lap award and nearly 460 miles completed. But the focus has shifted from starting strong to sustaining performance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team will put those improvements to the test this summer. FSGP runs July 21\u201323 at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, followed by the ASC race from Minneapolis to Amarillo, Texas, along the Great River Road and Historic Route 66 from July 25 to Aug. 1.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to test our car a lot more,\u201d said Conner Ellis, a fourth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student and team president. \u201cLast year, we discovered a lot of issues while competing that could have been caught earlier.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the biggest upgrades: a redesigned top body and a solar array expanded by 50%, along with improvements to the battery system and electrical infrastructure to increase efficiency and reliability.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bella Lucarelli, a fourth-year electrical engineering major and Solar Gators president-elect, said having a functional, evolving car has allowed the team to refine performance throughout the year while preparing for more demanding conditions on the road.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1230\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators.webp\" alt=\"The UF Solar Gators show off the revamped Flare on April 17 in the Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence. Photo by Lexi Ray \" class=\"wp-image-42867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators.webp 2000w, https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators-500x308.webp 500w, https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators-1024x630.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators-768x472.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/04\/uf-solar-gators-1536x945.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UF Solar Gators show off the revamped Flare on April 17 in the Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence. Photo by Lexi Ray <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The challenges extend beyond engineering. At competition, teams camp trackside for days, balancing long hours, limited sleep and constant problem-solving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s two weeks straight. No sleep, all grind,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cIt challenges both your body and mind.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the team prepares for its first challenge with Flare, the goal is clear: Go the distance. Ellis\u2019 definition of success means completing the full cross-country route.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experience is just the beginning for newer members like freshman electrical engineering student Ahmed Kamel.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m excited to see how the car holds up in a real competition,\u201d Kamel said, \u201cand just learning from everyone on the team.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a revamped car and lessons from past races, the Solar Gators are determined not just to compete, but to push further than ever before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Flare, a student-built solar-powered race car, will compete in a multi-day endurance race where teams aim to complete the most laps powered entirely by the sun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":42865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-templates\/single-full-width-image.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_post":"off","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15,25,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ece","category-engineering-education","category-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42859"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42869,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42859\/revisions\/42869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eng.ufl.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}