Stella, the world’s first solar-powered family car, built by Solar Team Eindhoven, today won the Crunchies award for ‘Best Technology Development’ at the 8th annual Crunchies in San Francisco. The team from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) left renowned names like Apple, SpaceX, Bitcoin and European Space Agency (ESA) behind it. The annual Crunchies awards are presented by TechCrunch and VentureBeat – two of the world’s premier technology websites. Stella was developed, designed and built by students from TU/e.

It was an exciting moment for the TU/e students. With this award the team underline their vision: building the family car of the future. “We’ve demonstrated a new vision for the car of the future, and thanks to this prize we’re gaining recognition for this achievement”, says Stella’s team manager Lex Hoefsloot. “It’s incredible that we as a student team are ahead of all these big-name companies. It’s a kind of David and Goliath show! The fact that we’ve won the Best Technology Development prize clearly shows the potential of solar-powered cars, and how we as students see the future of mobility.” Those are the words of Roy Cobbenhagen, Solar Team Eindhoven’s Technical Manager. The award was presented in the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. 

Solar Team Eindhoven
The students from TU/e developed and built a whole new concept in 2013: an electric family car powered directly by solar energy. Stella is ultra‑light, exceptionally aerodynamic and has an extremely efficient driveline, with motors in the wheels, advanced energy management and only a minimal battery system. In average use in the Netherlands the solar panels provide 10 months more energy per year than the car uses. That extra energy can then be supplied to the power grid. That means Stella is a family car that on balance provides energy, instead of using it. 

Students from Solar Team Eindhoven are currently working on developing a new solar-powered car. They plan to give their next‑generation solar-powered car its first public showing in July, and to defend their title at the World Solar Challenge in Australia in October 2015.