LONGi is strengthening its commitment to innovation in solar mobility by supporting two of the world’s leading solar racing teams at the 2026 Elektrek American Solar Challenge (ASC), one of North America’s premier solar-powered endurance competitions. This year’s ASC takes competitors from Minnesota to Texas, with much of the route following the historic Route 66 corridor.
The ASC challenges teams to cover the greatest cumulative distance over eight days, rather than compete for outright speed. As they traverse diverse climate zones and complex terrain, teams must continuously optimise energy management and strategic decision-making throughout the endurance challenge.
For LONGi, the competition serves as more than a race — it is a real-world platform for validating and advancing next-generation photovoltaic technologies.
Following its collaboration with Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team at the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), LONGi has now further strengthened its technical collaboration within the global solar racing community.
For the 2026 season, LONGi is partnering with both Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team and the Netherlands’ Delft Solar Team. Both teams ranked among the top three at the 2025 BWSC and represent the only two European teams competing in this year’s Elektrek American Solar Challenge.
Solar racing represents one of the most challenging applications for photovoltaic technology. With extremely limited surface area available on the vehicle, every solar cell must achieve maximum conversion efficiency while maintaining reliability under dynamic operating conditions, curved vehicle surfaces, temperature variations and long-distance endurance challenges.
To meet these requirements, LONGi is providing tailored BC (Back Contact) technology solutions for both teams. The Innoptus team is equipped with the company’s customised high-efficiency BC flexible modules, specifically designed for the curved surfaces and lightweight architecture of solar race cars, with the Delft team integrating LONGi’s high-efficiency BC solar cell strings into its vehicle’s energy system.
Through its partnerships with leading solar racing teams, LONGi continues to explore the possibilities of high-efficiency photovoltaic technology in demanding environments, gaining valuable insights that help advance future solar applications.
The company views solar motorsport as an innovation platform where advanced photovoltaic technologies can be validated, refined and further developed under real operating conditions.
The value of these partnerships extends beyond the race itself. By working together with engineers, researchers and innovators around the world, LONGi aims not only to provide advanced solar technologies but also to foster an open innovation ecosystem where collective insights and collaboration help expand the boundaries of what solar energy can achieve.
