It’s now July, which means schools from around the world are making final preparations for the Electrek American Solar Challenge 2026, and this year is going to be an especially notable one! A record 42 teams from colleges in the US, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands are registered to compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix pre-qualifier track event in less than two weeks.
This is a big deal for teams. Apart from FSGP being a competition in its own right, it’s the opportunity for students to prove their hand-built solar car has what it takes to hit the open road and trek 1,500+ miles across the United States for the renowned American Solar Challenge.
Here’s everything you need to know about both competitions, the teams, and the schedule.
A brief history
The roots of American solar car racing can be traced back to 1987, when GM’s Sunraycer solar car won the first World Solar Challenge in Australia. The Sunraycer featured a more rounded, UFO-looking design made of Kevlar for a great strength-to-weight ratio. It was covered in 8800 solar cells capable of generating about 1500 watts of power. It was an impressive feat of engineering at the time and proved to the world that electric drivetrains could be efficient and competitive.
Instead of continuing to compete with Sunraycer, GM used its experience in Australia to start an organized state-side collegiate solar car event. Sunrayce USA events were held in 1990, 1993, 1997, and 1999. Around the 2000s, General Motors began to shutter its electric vehicle efforts, partly due to the commercial failure of its first production EV, dubbed EV1. This shift in priorities marked the end of Sunrayce events.
In 2001, the cross-country event rebranded to the American Solar Challenge (ASC) following the creation of the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), all under the leadership of the Innovators Educational Foundation (IEF). Since then, FSGP has acted both as a qualifier for the biannual ASC and as a standalone event in years when the ASC isn’t held. This event setup helps ensure solar cars are roadworthy for long-distance travel across the US, while also giving newer teams a chance to gain racing experience.
The Electrek American Solar Challenge was last held in 2024, so this year the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix will serve as a pre-qualifier. On-years typically see higher attendance as students seek out the ASC title. A record-breaking 42 teams are registered!
ICYMI: In 2023, Electrek announced the signing of a five-year title sponsorship agreement with the IEF, which will guarantee funds to host the yearly races through 2028.
Other 2026 FSGP/ASC sponsors include Blue Origin, Tesla, SpaceX, MathWorks, Caterpillar, Generac, Wattch, and others.
Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2026
In a thrilling first, this year’s Electrek FSGP is heading to Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. This 3.1-mile road course is known for hosting professional racing…of the gas kind. It features sweeping turns and a really long, wide front straight that the raceway typically uses as a drag strip. Road & Track ranked it the second-best racetrack in America behind Talladega Superspeedway.
To the relief of teams, the course is also way less hilly compared to NCM Motorsports Park, the previous location, which featured a challenging section students dubbed the “sinkhole,” a steep downhill followed by an equally steep uphill climb. At least a dozen cars got stuck at this point last year.
Brainerd’s more straightaways and wider passing room will make this race an exciting one to watch!
Racing kicks off July 21 and goes through July 23.
The event is open to the public and FREE to attend. Come see the solar cars race up close! The track officials will only ask you to sign a waiver at the entrance. These are hand-built experimental solar cars after all.
Electrek American Solar Challenge 2026 main event
For the teams that survive FSGP, the real test begins.
This year’s Electrek American Solar Challenge sends every qualifying car on a 1,500+ mile trek from Minneapolis, Minnesota, all the way down to Amarillo, Texas.
The route follows the Great River Road before hopping onto Historic Route 66, which makes for some pretty great timing. 2026 marks Route 66’s 100th anniversary, and the ASC has been officially named a Route 66 Centennial Project.
Event director Gail Lueck said she’s “thrilled” for the students to run the iconic route again, marking 25 years since solar cars first traveled the Mother Road.
The Electrek ASC runs an 8-day, 4-stage format with mandatory checkpoints and stage stops along the way, where teams pull in, show off their cars to the public, and get scored on progress. You can see where all the cars will be staged for the public on the official event page here.
Like the FSGP, cars compete in one of two classes: Single-Occupant Vehicle (SOV) for pure efficiency, or Multi-Occupant Vehicle (MOV) for a mix of performance and real-world practicality.
Winners are determined by total miles completed (MOV teams also earn credit for passenger miles).
It all kicks off with a free public Display Day on July 24 at the University of Minnesota, then the cars hit the road on July 25 and roll into Amarillo on August 1. The map below shows the overall journey the solar cars will take.
List of teams competing
Here are all the teams competing in the Formula Sun Grand Prix. I will follow up with an update post later this month on which pre-qualify for the American Solar Challenge.
1 – Purdue – SOV
3 – Kentucky – SOV
4 – MIT – MOV
5 – Florida – SOV
6 – Berkeley – SOV
8 – KU Leuven – SOV
9 – Iowa State – MOV
10 – RIT – SOV
11 – Northwestern – SOV
12 – Texas A&M – SOV
13 – Michigan State – SOV
16 – Stanford – SOV
17 – Illinois State – SOV
21 – Virginia Tech – SOV
22 – Illinois – SOV
24 – Waterloo – SOV
25 – Catawba – DEMO
30 – TU Delft – SOV
32 – Principia – SOV
33 – UT Arlington – SOV
35 – Minnesota – MOV
42 – Missouri S&T – SOV
49 – Georgia Tech – MOV
55 – Poly Montreal – MOV
57 – SIUE – SOV
65 – Calgary – MOV
66 – Rutgers – SOV
77 – Toronto – SOV
79 – Florida Poly – SOV
80 – UT Austin – SOV
81 – NJIT – SOV
86 – Washington – SOV
88 – Utah State – SOV
92 – ETS – SOV
95 – Irvine – SOV
99 – NC State – MOV
116 – McMaster – MOV
480 – Arizona State – SOV
608 – Wisconsin – SOV
777 – UOP – SOV
786 – Western Michigan – SOV
828 – App State – MOV
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