Pictures from the past:

   The Oregon Solar Car Team is an experimental project revolving around the design, construction, and management of a fully functioning, fully scaled, solar-powered racing car. The team is entirely made up of high school students and was started in 2007 by Thomas Stueve, under the name Oregon High School Solar Car Team. 

The team has been fueled by dedicated and determined members since its inception. Since 2007, the team has built four solar-powered cars: Heliocentric, Heliocentric II, Heliocentric III, Lumidos, and the Alpha Centauri. The team competes annually in the Solar Car Challenge and has placed 2nd most recently, 3rd, 4th twice, and 5th once. These cars have raced 7 times in total. 

All high school students are welcome to join the team, and experience is not required to any extent. 

Our last race in 2024, our ambitious goal was to complete 1000 laps around the iconic Texas Motor Speedway. Each lap is roughly 1.5 miles. To achieve this feat, we are actively working on numerous enhancements. Some of these improvements include the development of a new solar array with the aim of doubling our energy output, redesigning our canopy, and the exciting prospect of crafting an entirely new solar car. These endeavors are geared towards enhancing our competitiveness and fostering innovation. 

This year, our goal is to build a new car to successfully race at the Texas Motor Speedway this year. We hope to build a Cruiser division (4 person) car named Arcturus that utilizes newer technology including motors, batteries, and solar panels.  Our goal is to raise $25,000 to be able to build this new car by July 2025, and to be able to make our way to Texas for the next competition. With your help we will be able to achieve this goal. 

The Oregon Solar Car Team takes a different approach to solar car design. While most teams choose to pursue the tried, true, and tested solutions, we are not afraid to try new things. Our vehicle is entirely designed and built from composite Carbon Fiber. Everything from the frame to the body, to portions of the mechanical system, are constructed from composite, resulting in an extremely lightweight car. We also pursue new and exciting possibilities for our motor, our solar panels, and our batteries. Whether it be a motor designed for use on military drones or hub wheels built by a single man in Croatia, we are not afraid to put our victory on the line in the name of pushing the envelope for what is possible. We have, and will continue to, prioritize scientific advancement over our sure victory.