App State’s Team Sunergy and its solar racing vehicle, Autumn, cross the finish line on day eight of the 2026 American Solar Challenge in Amarillo, Texas, completing the cross-country road race.
App State’s Team Sunergy and its solar racing vehicle, Autumn.
App State’s Team Sunergy and its solar racing vehicle, Autumn, cross the finish line on day eight of the 2026 American Solar Challenge in Amarillo, Texas, completing the cross-country road race.
App State’s Team Sunergy and its solar racing vehicle, Autumn.
Appalachian State University’s solar vehicle racing team took first place in the multi-occupant vehicle category at the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge.
Team Sunergy competed against an international field in the cross-country road race, which followed Route 66 from Minneapolis to Amarillo, Texas. The team qualified for the road race after finishing second in the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix.
The race tested Autumn, the team’s two-person solar vehicle, across nearly 1,830 miles from July 25 to Aug. 1.
Autumn is a 660-pound vehicle built of carbon fiber. The vehicle averaged 31.7 mph during the American Solar Challenge.
Team Sunergy’s energy efficiency score was well above its competitors. The team also received the multi-occupant vehicle Practicality Award, which recognizes the vehicle most comparable to a standard car.
American Solar Challenge contestants were scored on distance completed, efficiency, and practicality.
The finish marked another successful showing for Team Sunergy, which built Autumn from the wheels up and relied on teamwork, strategy, and endurance to navigate the long road to the podium.
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