IIT Madras students build solar car ‘Aagneya' for global race in Australia
A team of students from IIT Madras has designed and built a solar-powered car called 'Aagneya' to take part in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025. The global race covers 3,000 kilometres across the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide, and will be held from August 24 to August 31, 2025.The car was developed by Team Agnirath, a 38-member student group from IIT Madras's Centre for Innovation (CFI). What started in 2021 with just six students has now become one of India's top student-led engineering teams.advertisementThe solar car, Aagneya, was officially unveiled at the IIT Madras campus by Director Professor V Kamakoti, who praised the team's innovation and said such student-led efforts are key to building successful start-ups and unicorns in India.
Professor V Kamakoti said that IIT Madras is building a strong and structured system to support start-ups and help them scale. He highlighted that the Institute had incubated over 100 start-ups and filed more than 470 patents in the last financial year.'We even had our first IPO from an IIT Madras-incubated start-up recently,' he noted with pride. He added that revenue earned is reinvested into nurturing new ventures, and encouraged students by saying, 'You must have the confidence that if you are part of a start-up from IIT Madras, it will lead to a unicorn.'USE OF SMART TECHNOLOGYadvertisementOne major upgrade in Aagneya is its full carbon fibre body, one of the largest ever made by an Indian student team. This helped reduce the car's weight significantly.The solar panel's efficiency was improved from 19 percent to 24 percent, and the battery size was reduced while maintaining high performance.The car also features AI-based control systems. A machine learning module guides race decisions based on weather, terrain, and solar energy, while a live telemetry system sends real-time updates to the pit crew.INNOVATION AND SUPPORTThe project received strong support from sponsors like Game Change Solar, Billion Mobility, Charge Zone, and COEZET, enabling students to access top-quality materials and testing facilities.Mr Sairam J, Business Module Lead, Team Agnirath and a third-year Biological Science student, IIT Madras, described the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge as much more than a simple race, calling it 'the most demanding engineering competition in the world."'Daytime temperatures soar above 50C and drop below 5C at night,' he said, adding that crosswinds exceeding 60 km/h pose serious challenges to the car's stability and aerodynamic performance.He explained that the event spans over 3,000 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide, cutting through the harsh Australian outback.Must Watch
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