Queen's University Solar Vehicle Team

The Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team (QSVT) was a dynamic, multidisciplinary student design project at Queen's University at Kingston, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose goal was to design and build vehicles that are solely powered by the sun’s energy. One of the two original Canadian teams, the Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team designed, built and raced solar powered vehicles for twenty years. During this time the team rose to be one of the top teams on the international solar car racing circuit, participating in numerous solar vehicle races, including The Canadian Solar Discovery Challenge, the North American Solar Challenge (NASC) and the World Solar Challenge.

The team completed its 11th vehicle, which raced in 2007 and 2008. The team competed in two major races every two years. The North American Solar Challenge is held in July of every second year, typically spanning nearly 4000 km of North America over ten days. The World Solar Challenge, often called the world's premier solar car race, runs from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia, several months after the NASC.

As of the completion of the NASC 2008, the Queen's Solar Vehicle Team has been retired. The team was transformed into the Queen's University Solar Design Team which competes in the Solar Decathlon competition.

About the Team
The QSVT concentrated its efforts in three principal areas: technical innovation, educational activities, and environmental awareness. This broad focus gave the QSVT the ability to impact a wide variety of individuals and groups. To maintain the success that was established in these three areas, the cooperation and support of sponsors was essential.

Established in 1988, the QSVT designed and built its first car, Photomoto, to compete in the Great Canadian Solar Challenge. In the years following, the team had numerous astounding accomplishments. The summer of 2000 saw the team take on a cross-Canada tour, Suntrek, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest journey by a solar vehicle. During this tour, solar power, its uses, benefits, and importance were presented to Canadians through a variety of hands-on and educational activities. The QSVT’s races in 2003 were no less exciting; the team placed first out of the two-seater vehicles in both the North American Solar Challenge, and the World Solar Challenge, the two most prestigious solar vehicle competitions in North America and the world, respectively.

Behind all of the achievements and successes was a highly organized team. Through their efforts, the QSVT was able to achieve its goals and those of its sponsors through various activities including annual events at the provincial, national and international levels, each garnering considerable media attention. Thus, equipped with both a full corporate and media relations team, the QSVT was able to utilize fully all of its media coverage to the full advantage of its sponsors.

The team was made up of about one hundred undergraduate students from Queen's University at Kingston, mainly from the Faculty of Applied Science, the Faculty of Arts & Science, and the School of Business. Students performed all the tasks related to the team from engineering design and construction, to team administration and public education. It was a valuable opportunity that provided students with experience in engineering, management and teamwork preparing them for the workforce of today and tomorrow.

Vehicles
Between 1988 and 2008 the team designed, built and raced eleven vehicles. Starting in 1988 with Photomoto, the team won the Great Canadian Solar Challenge, and then built ten other award-winning vehicles.