Agneya Unleashed: IIT Madras Students Set to Race Solar Car in Australia

Aagneya, a sleek and silent  solar-powered racing car is turning heads at IIT Madras. Designed and developed by a passionate group of students, they are  gearing up to represent India and race in the prestigious Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia.

The brainchild of Team Agnirath, the car is set to race across a grueling 3000-kilometre stretch from Darwin to Adelaide, competing against top universities from across the globe in a five-day test of endurance, design, and energy efficiency. 

Crafted over 15 months of relentless work, Aagneya is not just a machine — it’s a symbol of innovation and sustainable ambition. Built from carbon fibre, the vehicle weighs just 300 kilograms and is nearly five times more aerodynamically efficient than conventional cars. It cruises comfortably at 70 kmph but can touch speeds of up to 110 kmph — all powered by the sun. “The solar panels are sufficient to charge batteries without an external source of power” tells Arnav Gautam to tellmystory.in . Siddharth Katdare, another member says ” From laying the first sheet of carbon fibre to seeing the entire car come together made us feel incredibly proud”. 

Jaswanth, one of the drivers is excited. Talking about the challenges, he says “It’s not just about speed but a constant balance between performance and efficiency. Every decision we make – speed and acceleration is based on sunlight, battery levels and terrain”. 

Aagneya was tested rigorously at Ashok Leyland’s professional testing track, ironing out challenges and pushing the design to real-world limits.

What makes this year’s run especially significant is the team’s comeback story. Disqualified in 2023, Team Agnirath took the setback in stride, learning from the experience and incorporating major design and compliance changes. This year, they’re back — more confident, better prepared, and excited to race with pride. explaining lessons learnt, Ananth Kulkarni said  “We travelled the entire 3000 km distance and collected the entire solar and wind data. Once we came back we methodically went by the data during the design and manufacturing. We also collaborated with industry experts”. 

With solar-powered mobility gaining global traction, Aagneya has  also triggered interest some of these young minds to work on developing sustainable solar domestic cars.

(This story was written using AI tools and vetted by the TMS team for accuracy.) 

Please watch the video story.