CalSol - The UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team

We are a team of almost 100 passionate Berkeley undergraduate students who design, build, and race high-speed, street-legal solar vehicles. We have built 9 generations of racing vehicles, developing and enhancing our designs with each iteration. Our last car, Zephyr, has had a long and successful career. In July 2018, we drove it more than 1700 miles from Omaha, NE to Bend, OR using 100% solar power. Our newest vehicle, Tachyon, is something new, futuristic, and practical. Our design features a fully solar-powered multi-passenger vehicle, instead of a single-seater. We’ve raced Tachyon at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, coming second for the second year in a row. Tachyon is currently in Australia for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, the world’s most prestigious international solar car race. Our participation in this challenging race was made possible by our 2018 crowdfunding donors-- thank you!!

Our team welcomes all interested students and is home to a variety of majors across the University. We provide unparalleled hands-on experience in engineering, project management, supply chain interactions, teamwork, problem-solving, and more.

We are crowdfunding to support the construction of our tenth generation vehicle, currently code-named “Gen X”. Our first major hurdle is purchasing molds to shape our carbon-fiber monocoque (structural) exterior shell. This c. $60,000 expense will take two years off the timeline that was necessary to create Tachyon and increase our ability to give members hands-on design and manufacturing experience, as well as increase the final quality of the outside surface of the shell, improving aerodynamic performance. The two-year build cycle and massive reduction in manual labor and sanding that purchased molds will allow gives CalSol the ability to give members two full car production cycles in their tenure at UC Berkeley in which they can focus on engineering design and complex, industry-standard manufacturing work rather than on the sanding and spraying of carcinogenic chemicals used in student-made molds. 

Can you make a tax-deductible donation today to support CalSol and make it all possible?

Over a two-year build cycle for our next car we expect expenses of about:

Our students gain design and project management experience that prepares them for careers in industry and for graduate school, leading the way in sustainable and automotive technologies.

Your donation will contribute to materials and manufacturing for Gen X, contributing to the development of cutting-edge solar and renewable energy technology and the education of brilliant engineers.

You can follow our progress on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @BerkeleyCalSol. Our website is http://calsol.berkeley.edu.

Thank you for your support!