- The UF Solar Gators unveiled Flare on April 17, a redesigned solar-powered race car with improved endurance, efficiency and reliability.
- The team will compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Minnesota and the American Solar Challenge this summer.
- Building on years of progress, the team upgraded Flare’s solar array, battery system and overall design.
With a black cloth draped over months of work, anticipation built earlier this month as the University of Florida’s Solar Gators prepared to reveal the next evolution of their solar-powered race car.
When the cover finally dropped, applause and possibility filled the room as Flare — sleeker, larger and reengineered — marked the team’s latest step toward competing on the national stage this summer.
The student-built vehicle will compete in the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), a multi-day endurance race where teams aim to complete the most laps powered entirely by the sun, and the American Solar Challenge (ASC), a cross-country road race testing reliability, efficiency and strategy over thousands of miles.
Flare is the latest step in the Solar Gators’ steady progression on the national stage. Since debuting their first car, Torch, in 2017 with just three miles completed at FSGP, the team has steadily improved with each design. Celio followed in 2018, increasing endurance to 200 miles, before Sunrider helped propel the team to a first-place finish at FSGP in 2023 and a full cross-country debut at ASC in 2024.