Hyperion qualifies 20th and starts the race from Darwin

Romania Insider reports that the Solis team, 23 students and two faculty members of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca with a representative of the Romanian Auto Registry, is representing Romania at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025. The race runs from 24 to 31 August on a 3,020 km route from Darwin to Adelaide. Teams may drive only between 08:00 and 17:00, then camp in the desert.

Hyperion is described as the most advanced vehicle the team has built, and it has reached more than 100 km/h. The article explains the Challenger class, for single-occupant vehicles, and this year's limits of 6 square metres of solar panels and a 3 kWh battery. Preparations began on 9 August, and the dynamic tests on 23 August gave a qualifying time of 2:23:37 and 20th place on the grid.

Hyperion started on 24 August in front of Parliament House in Darwin. It covered 495 km in eight hours on day one and 552 km on day two at an average of 70 km/h. After two days Solis was 15th in the Challenger class, 1,060 km from Darwin, while Brunel Solar Team led the race at an average of 89 km/h.