Review BWSC 2025 - How do you feel when looking back on this year's race?

Looking back at the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, we feel a mix of pride and ambition. Pride, because we successfully brought our solar car Emilia 5.9 across the more than 3,000 kilometers to the finish line in the Cruiser Class, achieving third place and winning the CSIRO Technical Innovation Award, an extraordinary result for our team which invested so much energy, research, and commitment to optimizing the vehicle’s performance.
At the same time, the experience pushes our ambition. Although winning was our ultimate goal, the result proved that we are capable of competing with the best. The challenge reinforced our confidence, strengthened our teamwork, and deepened our motivation to explore the limits of solar mobility even further.

What are the unique characteristics of your team?

Our strength lies in combining academic research, industrial collaboration, and the enthusiasm of volunteers into one team. Engineers, researchers, and students work side by side, tied by the same passion for designing and building solar vehicles.
This environment allows knowledge transfer between generations, encouraging both personal growth and technological innovation. The diversity of backgrounds and skills within the team supports creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving in facing of complex challenges. We see obstacles as opportunities to learn, improve, and redefine the boundaries of sustainable engineering

What are the key features of your car for BWSC 2025?
Also, please share the biggest challenge you faced during the development process and how you overcame it.

Emilia 5.9 embodies our pursuit of balance between aerodynamic efficiency, lightweight design, and advanced composite engineering.
Its distinctive features include a 15 kWh high-efficiency battery pack, a lightweight monocoque structure made almost entirely of composite materials, and an innovative composite suspension system. In addition, several non-structural components were designed and manufactured using 3D printing, improving both precision and weight optimization.
Another innovative aspect was the integration of artificial intelligence for driver-assistance and performance monitoring, designed to operate effectively even in offline conditions, ensuring reliability in remote environments.
Throughout the project, we also paid close attention to aesthetic quality — both exterior and interior — to combine functionality, comfort, and design elegance.
Our greatest challenge was to merge these elements into a solution that was as light as possible without compromising safety or performance through the employment of mainly composite materials. This required rigorous design, modeling, and optimization of every structural element, alongside iterative testing, stress analysis, and strict manufacturing control.
Our greatest challenge was to merge these elements into a solution that was as light as possible without compromising safety or performance through the employment of mainly composite materials. This required rigorous design, modeling, and optimization of every structural element, alongside iterative testing, stress analysis, and strict manufacturing control.
The result is one of the lightest and most efficient Cruiser-class solar vehicles ever produced by our team — capable of completing over 3,000 kilometers across the Australian Outback and earning the CSIRO Technical Innovation Award for its composite suspension design.

How important are tires for a solar car? And what do you think about BS ENLITEN tyre?
Is there any tyre performance you would expect for 2027?

Tires are one of the most critical elements for any solar car. With limited available energy, rolling resistance, weight, and durability, the tires have a direct impact on efficiency and total energy consumption.
For the BWSC 2025, we used Bridgestone ENLITEN™ tires, which performed remarkably well for their purpose. Their low rolling resistance improved our vehicle’s efficiency and contributed to a smoother aerodynamic performance, reducing the overall energy consumption.
For 2027, we would be excited to see developments such as smart tires equipped with embedded sensors to monitor parameters like pressure, temperature, and wear in real time — or even self-healing materials to extend tire lifespan and reduce waste.

Bridgestone is promoting sustainability across the entire value chain—from raw material procurement to product use and recycling.
What kind of initiatives does your team take to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability in vehicle development and team operations?

Sustainability is a fundamental value that guides our project philosophy.
In designing Emilia 5.9, we prioritized lightweight composite materials to minimize energy consumption, and we selected eco-friendly interior materials such as eco-leather and neoprene, both durable and recyclable.
As part of the GreenWave Project of the Centro Nazionale per la Mobilità Sostenibile (MOST), Onda Solare supports to advance sustainable mobility in Italy. Through this collaboration, we implemented recycled composite materials, used specifically for manufacturing the molds of the vehicle’s front and rear sections, significantly reducing the project’s overall environmental footprint.
Moreover, during a PhD research program developed on the Onda Solare project, a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the battery pack was carried out. The results, published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, provided valuable insights into the environmental impacts of battery production and helped guide future improvements toward a more sustainable design.

BWSC is a symbolic race that embodies sustainable motorsports.
How do you think your experience and challenges in BWSC will contribute to the future of mobility?

For us, the BWSC is more than a race, it serves as a real-world laboratory for innovation. The extreme conditions of the competition push our engineering, logistics, and endurance to the limit, teaching us how to make vehicles more efficient, reliable, and adaptive to real-world challenges.
Our work with Emilia 5.9 demonstrates that true sustainability is achieved through innovation, knowledge, and collaboration. The lessons learned here will influence future automotive design, leading to smarter, lighter, and more sustainable mobility solutions.

Please share your goals and aspirations for BWSC 2027.

We aim to return to the BWSC 2027 stronger, faster, and more efficient than ever. Our goal remains unchanged: to compete for and win the Cruiser Class, while exploring the boundaries of technology and sustainability.
We plan to enhance our aerodynamic design, composite materials, and manufacturing capabilities, while expanding collaboration with students, universities, and industries. Beyond the competition, our mission is to inspire future engineers and show the real-world impact and potential of solar mobility.

Message to the future teammates aspiring to compete BWSC 2027

To those who will take part in BWSC 2027: remember that this challenge is not just about technology, it’s about passion, perseverance, and teamwork.
The on-road experience is both wonderful and demanding. You will face not only mechanical issues but also strategic, logistical, and motivational challenges. The workload can be immense, but the knowledge, friendships, and personal growth you gain are truly priceless.