Ardingly Ifield Solar Car


The Only UK Road Registered Solar Car


A student led team building solar cars to power the future in a cleaner, more sustainable way

20230629_152020.jpg

Cars with different purposes - all of them solar powered

The Ardingly Ifield Solar Car is a project running for over a decade that has gained experience by building and racing solar cars to race in both Europe and Australia. As a team, we wish to never settle with past successes; for this reason, we are continuing to drive further forward into the world of sustainable technologies by using the experience gained to design and manufacturing a low cost sustainable solar car supplying off grid power for use in developing countries.

Our Cars

Our Solar Utility Vehicle (SUV) is developing at rapid pace - we are on track to be on the road by 2025 at the latest. This car represents people’s futures, in which cars are solar powered (of course) and available for all. Able to suit the rugged terrain of developing countries, our SUV will be capable of mass-manufacture in order to improve connectivity and the supply of electricity across the developing, and developed, world.

We are have now got a prototype for the car. This page will be updated soon with photos. Please also see the SUV page for more.

Photo not to scale, for design purposes only

The Solar Utility Vehicle (est 2021)

The Roadster (est 2012)

The Roadster was the first car we developed. This project allowed us to make mistakes and understand the world of solar cars and solar car racing. This car, which is no longer in use, competed in the World Bridgestone Solar Challenge in 2015 coming 6th in the Cruiser Class. We used the process of designing and building this car as a framework to more effectively build our next car, the Basking Beastie.

The Basking Beastie (est 2018)

Following the great success of the Roadster we began our journey in building a far more ambitious car called the Basking Beastie - a bespoke car which was designed, built and driven by students in the 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge for 1500km, using a custom designed 16kWh battery. The Beasty travels across the country, participating in numerous events and challenges, whilst we continue to innovate on the Flatpack.

United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

We help meet

Prince Albert (1).jpg

Our Patron,

Prince Albert II of Monaco

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco is patron of the Ardingly Ifield Basking Beastie and was a huge part of the reason we were able to compete in the BWSC 2019. In this challenge we completed 1500km under solar power, outperforming both Stanford and Cambridge University. Prince Albert, a keen sportsman, environmentalist and automotive enthusiast himself, heads a foundation committed to the promotion of renewable energies and the role they play in the transition towards a low carbon economy. He says Ardingly Solar’s approach and values are in line with his own, adding: “I wish the solar car team every success in the design, build and race of a new solar car, following Ardingly College’s successful participation in the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.”

Ifield Community College

Ardingly College