Solar Cannonball

NYC → LA · Solar Powered · Zero Grid Charging

Current Record
13d 15h 19m
Michigan Tech Solar Car Team
Sun Strider (custom solar vehicle) · 3x Grin Electric Motors
July 21, 2024
First purpose-built solar car to cross America in the Cannonball tradition. The Sun Strider weighs under 600 lbs and runs on three Grin electric motors with off-the-shelf e-bike components, powered entirely by rooftop solar panels with a 3 kWh, 72V battery pack.
Michigan Tech Sun Strider solar car
The Solar Challenge
Solar-powered Cannonball runs represent the frontier of sustainable transportation records. Unlike electric vehicles that can recharge at stations, solar cars must generate all their energy from sunlight. This means strategic planning around daylight hours, weather patterns, and terrain. The challenge is as much about energy management as it is about driving — you can only move when the sun provides, and every watt counts. The gap between the purpose-built Sun Strider (13.6 days) and the production Tesla approach (57 days) shows how much vehicle design matters when your only fuel source is photons.
100%
Solar Powered
~2,800
Miles Covered
0
Grid Charging
<600
Sun Strider Lbs
3 kWh
Battery Pack
75%
Faster Than Tesla
Solar Record Progression
Custom Vehicle
2024
Michigan Tech Solar Car Team
Sun Strider (purpose-built solar car)
13d 15h 19m

Time: 13 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes

Vehicle: Sun Strider — purpose-built solar car

Team: Michigan Tech Solar Car Team (Cannonball Sun)

Date: July 21, 2024

Weight: Under 600 lbs

Motors: 3x Grin Electric (off-the-shelf e-bike components)

Battery: 3 kWh, 72V pack

Top speed: ~45 mph

Crushed the production vehicle record by over 43 days. The purpose-built approach — ultralight chassis, maximum solar panel area, minimal drag — proved the concept that a dedicated solar vehicle could cross America in under two weeks. The production Tesla took nearly two months.

Production Vehicle
2023
Solar Tesla Team
Tesla + 6.4 kW Portable Solar System
57 days

Time: 57 days

Vehicle: Tesla with portable solar panel system

Solar system: 6.4 kW array with SOK 5 kWh battery storage

The first known solar-only Cannonball crossing using a production vehicle. The strategy: charge for approximately two days, drive approximately 300 miles, repeat. Averaging about 100 miles per day on the 6.4 kW system. Proved it could be done, but the production EV's weight and energy demands made for a long journey.

Solar Tesla Cannonball Run documentary
Solar Tesla Cannonball Run — Full Series