CHENNAI: Braving scorching heat and strong crosswinds, a solar-powered car named Aagneya, built by students of IIT Madras, will travel 3,000 km from Darwin to Adelaide in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025, scheduled from August 24 to 31.
Developed by Team Agnirath from the Centre for Innovation, the car features a carbon fibre body and a machine learning-based strategy module that makes real-time decisions based on weather, terrain, and solar input. The vehicle is engineered to withstand temperatures above 50°C, winds exceeding 60 km/h, and other harsh conditions.
Unveiled on Friday by IIT-M Director V Kamakoti, Aagneya is the result of over 15,000 hours of work by a 38-member student team. The director urged alumni and industry support to help scale such innovation and fuel further technological advancement.