This project is now in update mode. Check back regularly to see how things are progressing.
CalSol: Driving the Future of Clean Energy
October 22nd, 2025: Thank you so much for helping us reach our goal of $12,000! Due to this impressive accomplishment, we are extending our crowdfunding goal to $15,000! To celebrate reaching our goal, we are publishing a newsletter to all donors that will provide progress updates, member spotlights, and fun pictures, which will summarize what our teams have been up to this year!
We are a passionate team of students at UC Berkeley, and we build cars that run entirely off of solar power. Our team’s indomitable collaborative spirit fosters unparalleled knowledge sharing and growing. We challenge ourselves every day, building complex and uncharted engineering systems from the ground up.
This past June, we tirelessly prepared for the 2025 Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP). Our truck and trailer crew drove over 2000 miles to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to safely transport Excalibur, our tenth-generation solar vehicle, to its second-ever race.
CalSol faced a thorough scrutineering process to be granted access to the track, which we successfully accomplished within the allotted time. Our record-breaking 52-person race crew was the largest ever brought in FSGP history. Bringing this large a team gave students an unforgettable experience in navigating logistical and engineering solutions in real-world situations.
Excalibur raced 117 laps (~370 miles) across three days of competition. We finished in 7th place out of 26 single-occupant vehicles, with our fastest lap coming in at 4:49. We gained lots of valuable experience and will be back better than ever next year!
We share our work and make a positive impact on our community and the world. We are passionate about building the future of clean energy transportation. Through crowdfunding, we will utilize the funds to support our team in manufacturing our eleventh-generation solar vehicle, as well as to help fund our participation in next year's Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge (ASC). Whether or not we fall short of our goal or surpass it, all money raised will contribute to our car's development; our goal of $12,000 represents only a fraction of the total cost of vehicle production.
CalSol is grateful for every donor and sponsor. Without you, CalSol wouldn't be possible.
$25
Wallpapers
Get a set of customised CalSol Wallpapers for your phone, tablet and PC detailing our past cars and fun takes on the team's creative ideas!
$100
Social Media Shout-Out
Receive a personalized shoutout from the team on our social media platforms!
$350
Adopt-a-cell
Running entirely on solar power is no joke, but our solar cells are principal to our success. Donate, and your name can now be on one!
$500
Name on Website
Have your name featured on the CalSol website for all our viewers and sponsors to see! And get featured on our social media.
$750
Fastest Lap POV
Watch a clip of our fastest lap of 4:21.414 at FSGP from the driver's POV!
$1,000
RFS Tour/Special Video Message
We know our supporters are located all over the country and world, so we want to give you a special thanks without you having to be at Berkeley. With this level you will either get to tour our Richmond workstation (if you're in the area) or get a video filmed from our team at our workshop as a special thank you for being such an awesome donor.
$4,000
Join CalSol at Pit during Race
Join CalSol at Formula Sun Grand Prix. You will be able to observe and experience the work that happens at the Pit during our race.
$10,000
American Solar Challenge
You will get a chance to join CalSol's crew throughout the week of race.
