Sonnenwagen exclusive: Future mobility from Aachen

A Covestro delegation was also present in Aachen and was shown the current status of the latest Sonnenwagen. The Sonnenwagen team wanted to get up close and personal with the construction of a solar car and much more besides. Changing wheels and milling, for example. But first things first.

A day full of innovation and practice

Every two years, when a new racing car is built, visitors get an exciting insight into the workshop work. This year, the open workshop day took place in this form for the first time. It promises interesting insights behind the scenes of the development of the new solar-powered speedster.

As soon as you enter the workshop, you can feel the energy of the team. Between workbenches, components and laptop screens, students are tinkering, screwing and testing. The team's two workshops are places where innovation comes to life. In the offices at the production sites, there were also lectures on driving strategy, simulation and safety. Worth knowing: when it's cloudy, the Sonnenwagen team drives faster than when it's sunny, simply because the cloud cover is then driven under faster. On the office level above the workshop, it was explained how the team's test bench works. The new Sonnenwagen 5 engine was tested live in front of the guests. A real highlight!

Anyone who wanted to know what it feels like to be part of the Sonnenwagen crew had the opportunity to experience this at the wheel changing workshop, for example. Brief introduction: safety goggles, capsule ear protectors, impact wrench for a team of four. Aerodynamic flap down. Then get to work on the bolts, tighten and loosen, everyone has their task. Wheel off, new wheel on and aerodynamic flap back on. What Team Sonnenwagen manages to do in under 90 seconds with three mechanics during the race is a real challenge for inexperienced drivers. In the end, more than three minutes are on the stopwatch.

“The open workshop day was a fantastic opportunity for us to experience first-hand the dedication and technological expertise that goes into developing a competitive solar car,” said Daniel Steinke, Covestro Project Manager for the Sonnenwagen project. “Here, we sponsors get to experience what it's like to be part of the team. My personal highlight was seeing the first Covestro products in the parts of the new Sonnenwagen 5.”

As the main sponsor, Covestro has been supporting the team for many years with innovative materials and expertise from its own ranks. This partnership is helping to make the solar car ever more efficient and sustainable. The big goal this year is once again to successfully participate in the World Solar Challenge 2025.

The countdown is on: Final preparations for the World Solar Challenge

There is almost only one topic during the breaks: from now on, everyday counts, taking a breather is not an option. There is not much time left until the World Solar Challenge in Australia. The car has to be ready by the next milestone in May.  The big roll-out event in Aachen is scheduled for May 26. The new Sonnenwagen 5 will then be presented to the public.

The team is working under high pressure in the decisive production phase. The outer shell is taking shape, the individual components under the hood and the chassis are being screwed, wired and soldered together. Testing begins as soon as the car is ready to drive. Everything for the one race. Across Australia, from north to south. That's why simulations are carried out under race conditions. The whole team is on site weeks before the start of the race. The final set-up is carried out there under the extreme conditions of the Australian outback to ensure maximum performance and reliability in the race. Because at the end of the day, there is one goal: to finally bring the world championship title to Aachen in the tenth year of the club. So far, everything is going according to plan.

The Sonnenwagen 5 is being built for the prestigious World Solar Challenge 2025 and will be presented to the public for the first time on May 26 in Aachen. Covestro colleagues are cordially invited to attend. Further information will follow.

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