Crossing Morocco in five days

only with solar energy

Solar energy? Well, our sun generates an incredible amount of energy. About one megawatt annually reaches Germany alone – on every square meter! It would be a waste not to use this abundance and so more and more photovoltaic systems decorate German rooftops.

But there is more to it. Imagine fueling a car with the power of the sun. Thousands of engineers and scientist all over the world are researching this technology already, for example the Team Sonnenwagen of the universities RWTH and FH Aachen. Around the world dozens of solar cars are already being tested and experimented with and there are even races for them. One of them is the “Solar Challenge Morocco 2021”, which is being held in the autumn of 2021.

Seven teams from different countries are racing a total of 2500 km through the Sahara Desert, passing the Atlas Mountains and more. And – you have guessed it – their only fuel is the energy provided by the sun.

The race has been postponed and moved to Morocco as the World Solar Challenge 2021 in Australia sadly had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Competing for Germany is the Team Sonnenwagen Aachen, comprised mostly of students of the RWTH and FH universities in the German town of Aachen. We are cooperating with the young men and women and equipped them with our tools to support them in their race for the “Olympic solar gold”. Why do we do that? To sponsor education, to reward the dedication and commitment of the students, to advance sustainable energy solutions and to support innovations.

Reliable before and during the pit stop

Even the best driver needs a reliable vehicle to successfully reach the finish line. For the vehicle to be reliable, it needs precise servicing. Tools for solar energy technology must meet very specific demands for comfortable application and accurate results. With our KNIPEX pliers the Team Sonnenwagen are perfectly equipped for the maintenance of their vehicle during the race. We are proud to participate and, if we have caught your interest, you can too: with our YouTube series about the race. Check it out right now!

A short preview:

more videos coming soon!

Episode 1:

Sonnenwagen: Let us introduce the team and the project

In the first episode of our Sonnenwagen series, meet the people behind the project and find out what motivates them to put so much effort into this enterprise. In addition to the students, some KNIPEX tools, such as the KNIPEX PreciStrip16 Automatic Insulation Stripper, Precision Tweezers and the Precision Insulation Stripper also join the team.

Episode 2:

The current flows and the solar car rolls

A couple of problems need to be solved before the solar car can hit the streets for the first time in episode 2. Learn more about the most important components in the assembly of a solar-powered car and find out why our circlip pliers and combination pliers are the first choice of Team Sonnenwagen.

Episode 3:

Together at the iESC event: the babtism of fire

We accompanied the team of students from Aachen to a 24-hour-race for solar cars.  We also have a look into the interiors of their solar car Photon and are glad to hear that the Team Sonnenwagen is so happy with our sponsored KNIPEX tools. Check it our yourself!