SIUE Shines for a Second Time as Electrek American Solar Challenge Stage Point

SIUE Shines for a Second Time as Electrek American Solar Challenge Stage Point

July 31, 2026, 6:26 PM

"Working for 20 to sometimes 40 hours a week designing and building our car Orion, we've gone camping together, we do game nights, and then going to the event where we are traveling together for like a week and a half-we have formed a lot of really strong bonds between all of the members in our solar car team," shared Henry Jones, a mechanical engineering graduate who graduated this past May and the President of SIUE's Solar Racing Team.

For Kevin Van Hesen, an alumnus of the Netherlands-based team, it was his first time in the United States. "Amidst all the logistic processes with the car and the journey that our team has had, it has been worth it. The American teams are very nice, very friendly," he said, noting the added camaraderie of reconnecting with the Belgian team he'd raced against the year before in Australia.

For a second time, the Electrek American Solar Car Challenge (ASC) made an exciting stage point at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Monday, July 27. More than a dozen cars participated in the multi-day, cross-country competition where collegiate teams design, build, and drive solar-powered vehicles across thousands of miles. Prior to their arrival on the SIUE campus, students from SIUE School of Engineering had the opportunity to proudly shwcase the innovative designs and functionality of the solar car Orion. As the ASC competitors and crowds began arriving throughout the day, students, staff and participants led a fun afternoon of food, deejay, photo booth and games.

Teams rolled onto campus after a three-day, cross-country run from Minneapolis, Minnesota before setting back out on the road towards Amarillo, Texas.

"The idea, and now reality, that SIUE is hosting one of the stops along the race, is exciting, and it is an honor," said Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD. "This is an international event with collegiate teams across the nation and the world which is impressive. You can only be excited for the students. This is a great opprtunity to showcase their talent, their engineering skills, their ingenuity, their creativity, and their competitiveness," he added.

Gail Lueck, ASC events and operations director, said teams arrived at SIUE after completing the longest stage of this year's event. "It is great to be back at SIUE for the second time, bringing the Electrek American Solar Challenge here," Lueck said. "SIUE always does a great job hosting-the hospitality room for the teams is fantastic."

Chris Gordon, PhD, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering, credited Ameren Illinois as a key partner behind SIUE's own entry. "Without Ameren, SIUE's solar car team wouldn't have been able to put the motor in their car," Gordon said. "This is a fantastic community and very supportive for our students as they learn more about the technical skills and soft skills they need as future engineers."

The event provided a platform for engineering students from as far as Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands to travel seven U.S. national history trails and demonstrate their automotive skills matched by ingenuity and for the community to witness the cutting-edge advancements in solar-powered transportation.

Anthony Vanden Abeele, a team member from KU Leuven in Belgium, expressed his excitement about the team's first-ever appearance in North American continent, with their car Infinite Apollo. "SIUE as a stage stop stood out during this busy summer of travel. Everything was really nice, we had drinks, the facilities were cool, there was even a music booth. Thank you very much to SIUE," he said.

Genevieve Deigel, of a Montreal, Quebec-based team racing a two-passenger solar vehicle named Esteban, called SIUE her favorite stop of the trip so far. "It looks like there's a real party," she said. "You guys are feeding us and hosting us which is really amazing."

Senior mechanical engineering student Garrett Ord, who drove SIUE's Orion through the Formula Sun Grand Prix track race in Brainerd, Minn., shared consistency as the highlight of the run. "We might not have been running the fastest, but we were one of the top teams in terms of not breaking down," Ord said. "Driving through Minnesota, through all these small towns, seeing people honking their horns, giving thumbs up, that was such a fun experience."

Christopher Spanske, an alum ('24) and a former SIUE solar car mechanical director who worked on the roll cage, chassis and suspension before graduating, returned to mentor the current team and saw a car he helped design finally back on the road. "I'm really proud of the team," Spanske said. His parents, Cheryl and Bob Spanske, were on campus to cheer the team on. "We really watch the team grow around here," Cheryl Spanske said. "It's wonderful how far they've made it."

Minor raised the green flag as the cars departed Monday morning for Rolla, Missouri. Fifteen teams continued from SIUE towards Amarillo, which follows Route 66 in honor of the highway's centennial.

"We are proud to be one of the stops. The competition, with students designing, building, repairing and sourcing parts for their cars, all while managing a budget and their own marketing is a powerful complement to classroom learning. This is a perfect example of how a co-curricular activity, a student organization, can be a wonderful complement to your formal curriculum," Minor said.

Check out the media coverage of solar teams arriving and departing from SIUE stage point.

PHOTOS: SIUE's solar car Orion; Netherlands-based team with their car Nuna 13S; Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, raising green flag for one of the solar cars; Belgian team with their car Infinite Apollo; Genevieve Deigel inside Montreal team's car Esteban; Garrett Ord, one of the drivers of SIUE's Orion; SIUE Alum Christopher Spanske