VTC Solar Car Team Makes History with World Championship Victory
Self-Developed SOPHIE 8x Triumphs Over Renowned International Institutions to Claim Maiden Title

The Vocational Training Council (VTC) Solar Car Team has made a historic breakthrough! The self-developed solar-powered car, SOPHIE 8x, by the Engineering Discipline of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), successfully traversed 3,000 km of desert and wilderness of Australia in the World Solar Challenge 2025. The IVE team won the championship in the highly demanding and challenging Cruiser Class, outperforming strong competitors from world-renowned institutions, including the University of Minnesota, University of New South Wales, and the University of Bologna, bringing glory to Hong Kong on the world stage.

VTC extends its warmest congratulations to the team on this world championship victory. The team, comprising IVE engineering teachers and students, demonstrated exceptional teamwork and innovation throughout the competition. Students have successfully applied the theoretical knowledge of new energy learned in the classroom into practice, showcasing the capabilities of Hong Kong’s younger generation in innovative technology. VTC has long supported environmental protection and sustainable development, and the IVE Engineering Discipline remains committed to solar vehicle research, encouraging students to explore the potential of renewable energy. This victory underscores VTC’s role in providing up-to-date vocational education that prepares industry-ready talent.

Conquering 3,000 km Across Australia's Outback: SOPHIE 8x Blends Practicality and Innovation

The World Solar Challenge is one of the world’s most prestigious solar car competitions. This year, 34 teams from over 10 countries and regions including Australia, Germany, the UK, the USA, Japan, and South Korea, competed in three categories. Competitors must traverse 3,000 kilometers of Australia’s continent from north to south within six days, navigating through deserts and wilderness while contending with significant day-night temperature variations and unpredictable weather, a true test of each team's endurance and expertise.

The Cruiser Class, in which the VTC team competed, emphasizes energy efficiency and the practicality of the solar cars as viable vehicles for the next generation of sustainable development. Among the eight Cruiser Class participating teams, six completed the full course. The VTC team demonstrated outstanding professionalism and teamwork throughout the tight schedule, driving and charging their solar car on desert roads during the day, while conducting rigorous nightly inspections, maintenance, and strategy refinements, ultimately winning the championship and marking a new high point in the team's history.

Established in 2009, the VTC Solar Car Team contested the World Solar Challenge for the sixth time. Alumni from previous teams have maintained close ties, ensuring the continuous passing on of experience, and collaborative research outcomes between the IVE Engineering Discipline and industry partners, have enabled significant enhancements to SOPHIE 8x's energy efficiency. To tackle new challenges presented by this year's event—moved to the Australian winter with shorter daylight hours and stricter battery capacity limits, SOPHIE 8x features a specifically tailored motor system. The controller uses the third-generation Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductor technology, which reduces weight, improves energy conversion efficiency, and greatly extends the vehicle's range and performance. These innovations showcase the students' excellent application of theory into practice.

The World Solar Challenge is a biennial race that brings together solar cars of tertiary educational institutes and enterprises across the globe to showcase technical excellence. Top-notch engineering students from around the world compete for the championship, including teams from globally-reputed education institutions such as the University of Michigan, Seoul National University, and Tokai University.

Established in 1982, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) is the largest vocational and professional education and training provider in Hong Kong. The mission of VTC is to provide a valued choice to school leavers and working people to acquire the values, knowledge, and skills for lifelong learning and enhanced employability, and to provide support to industries for their manpower development. VTC has 14 member institutions, namely the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), the Institute of Professional Education And Knowledge (PEAK), the School for Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE), the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT),  the Hotel and Tourism Institute (HTI),  the Chinese Culinary Institute (CCI), the International Culinary Institute (ICI), the Maritime Services Training Institute (MSTI), Youth College, Pro-Act by VTC, the Integrated Vocational Development Centre (IVDC) and the Shine Skills Centre.

Website: www.vtc.edu.hk

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