CalSol, the UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team is a non-profit organization representing the highest ranked public university in the nation whose purpose is to design, build, test, and race fully solar powered vehicles. CalSol, the UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team, is a student-run organization that designs, builds, tests, and races solar vehicles capable of traveling at highway speeds. The group is home to dozens of engineers and scientists from a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from materials science, electrical, and mechanical engineering to computer science and physics. Students have specialties ranging from logistics and procurement to aerodynamically optimized advanced composites to signal and computer control of complex electrical power systems and data transmission. Hands-on experiences provide students with the opportunity to create complex systems that come together in the production of road-legal solar cars while also gaining exposure to project management and real-world engineering. Through participation in solar races and alternative energy as well as community outreach events, the team also aims to raise awareness of solar energy while focusing on the engineering challenges inherent in solar vehicle technology.
