High school students designed and built solar-powered cars for 1,400 mile race to California

FORT WORTH, Texas - High school students have spent months preparing, and now it's time for them to take their solar car creations on a journey across the country. 

The annual Solar Car Challenge was established by the President and Race Director Dr. Lehman Marks, in 1993 to motive STEM students while increasing awareness for alternative energy sources. 

All cars are going through "scrutineering" at the Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. This process is for the judges evaluate the vehicles to ensure they are safe. 

The students learned how to build their cars from scratch handling the design, engineering, and driving. 

This is the 30th year of competition and there are 20 teams competing. 

Students began to prepare for the event in September 2022, but it can take two to three years for them to fully execute their vision. 

In the race, each team will drive approximately 1,400 miles from Texas to California in their vehicles. The group that drives the most miles combined, will win the competition. 

Dr. Marks used to work at FOX 4 as the weekend meteorologist before transitioning to making solar-powered cars.  

He said he did not think the challenge would go this far and that the program is not just about building cars, but learning about engineering and sustainability.  

Marks said 100 teams started this process at the beginning of the year and 20 teams made it to Texas. 

"These are all winners, because they were able to design, plan, build, and raise money," Marks said. "They learned how to shake hands and look somebody in the eye and say, give me some money, and then engineer it and build it and get here. 

Marks said seeing students go to college, graduate, and return to the program is humbling. 

He said he has a responsibility to the kids and that there should be a bigger focus on getting children excited about science and engineering.  

"You take the learning out of the classroom, and you put it into reality here. And then they learn the implications of what they have learned in the texts and how you apply it so when they go off to college they can use it," Marks said. 

Jude Sawyer, a student at The Delta School in Arkansas, is racing this year. Sawyer said his team entered the 2022 competition and spent months assembling their vehicle, but the car snapped on the way to Texas.

In September 2022, his team began building the new vehicle for this year's race.  

"This year we redefined our entire frame and built from scratch," Sawyer said.

So far it has passed the first three inspections.

Anika Escobar from Greenville ISD has been working with her team on their advanced vehicle since 2020.

In total, Escobar said it cost approximately $100,000 for the materials to build the car. 

She said this is the third time the vehicle has raced, but it is its first road race. 

It is also Escobar's firsts. 

She said driving across the country versus around the racetrack will bring a new set of challenges like speed limits, other vehicles, road conditions and more. 

She said building the car and participating in the competition comes with a certain level of pressure. 

"You have a lot on your shoulders. You have a lot of sponsors to represent, you have a lot of money, and you have a lot of time that goes into this program," Escobar said. "The commitment and dedication is crucial to this program, and you have to show off as much as you can and make your hometown proud and make everybody proud."

Participating in the challenge has provided Escobar with several opportunities. A university in Boston has offered to pay for half of her college tuition to study engineering. 

Escobar said she hopes to be an intern one day at the program and give back to the competition down the road. 

She said this competition means a lot to her and is the reason she is who she is today. 

"Just even being here, the atmosphere, the learning, yeah you build a solar car, but you also build relationships, you gain connections, and you learn abilities that most kids in high school don't think about. It's pretty cool," Escobar said. 

The cars must have turn signals, hazard lights, and must have a temporary Texas license plate to be approved for the race.  

The competition will begin on Sunday, July 16 at 8:30 AM, and it will be streamed live on The Solar Car Challenge website.