Stella Terra, the world’s first solar off-road vehicle, completed a test trip across Morocco and the Sahara desert in early October.

Stella Terra has two seats, designed by students at Eindhoven University of Technology, Guardian reported on October 17. To complete the trip, the vehicle overcame a series of challenging terrains as a final test of its lightweight chassis and aerodynamic design. The car runs on energy provided by a solar panel system on the roof, with a maximum speed of 145 km/h. The car weighs only 1,200kg and has a range of about 710km on a sunny day.

Stella Terra, the world’s first solar off-road vehicle, can run 710km on a sunny day. (Photo: Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie/STE).

According to Wisse Bos, Solar Team Eindhoven team manager, the technology used, including the lightweight chassis with highly efficient solar cells, is more advanced than any other car on the market. “Stella Terra must withstand harsh off-road conditions, while remaining efficient and lightweight to run on solar power. That’s why we had to design nearly everything ourselves for Stella Terra, from the suspension system to the solar cell converter,” said Bos.

The car is equipped with a lithium-ion battery, allowing it to operate in less sunny places for shorter distances. Energy from the car’s solar battery system can provide enough electricity for cooking and charging devices such as phones or cameras. The vehicle’s inverter is 97% efficient in converting sunlight absorbed by the solar cells into electrical charge. Stella Terra operates about 30% more efficiently than initially expected.

“We hope this can inspire automakers like Land Rover and BMW to make the industry more sustainable. The car is really comfortable off-road because it’s so light and not stuck,” said Bob van Ginkel, technical manager of the project.

According to Britt van Hulst, financial manager of the project, there is still much work to do before launching Stella Terra to the market. The biggest challenge for solar car manufacturers is that the surface area for installing panels is very limited. High-performance batteries that produce enough energy to power vehicles over long distances have huge production costs.