Students from Texas and other states recently competed in this year's Solar Car Challenge, a competition to build and drive solar-powered vehicles.

The competition is designed to increase students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through friendly competition and innovative engineering challenges. Oncor was once again a title sponsor for the event, which took place at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The event is seen as cooperative rather than a competition where student interactions and the exchange of knowledge are the most important factors for success.

The program provides a safe environment for students to build, test and compete with their unique solar car designs. This year, 20 teams were challenged to drive 490 miles across the country. Many teams successfully competed with some teams’ cars sustaining impressive speeds of 72 mph.

While teams from across the country and globe visited Texas for the event, many of Texas' brightest future engineers also rose to the occasion locally.

Students from Rock Hill High School competed on the Prosper Engineering Team and received third place in the Advanced Classic Division. The students, including Team Member Grant Bisaillon, were proud of the work they did as a team to make their solar car as efficient as possible.

“One of the best parts of competing is all the great people you get to meet, and how we build the car by working together,” Bisaillon said. “Everybody has something different to offer, and throughout the process of building the car, everyone becomes an expert at something.”

Another successful Texas team that competed in the race were the Greenville Iron Lions. The Lions finished first in the Advanced Division with supporters like Coach Lucas Kiowsky being proud of his team’s continued team work.

“The event means a ton to me because the students learn so much from working hands-on on a project like this,” Kiowsky said. “Students learn things here that they wouldn’t in the class room -- things like working with a team, dealing with adversity, problem-solving and so much more.”

The Greenville Iron Lions captain Anika Escobar is also proud of her team for another successful win in their division. Escobar is especially thankful for the chance to be captain of such a great group of students.

“This was a really fun experience for me and I’m so proud of my team for the work everyone’s put in,” Escobar said. “Being captain of a team is a lot of responsibility, but it’s worth every second in the end. I’m grateful I was able to lead my team this year.”

Oncor is proud to sponsor the Solar Car Challenge and create interest for STEM among young innovators. Morgan Caraway, a former Solar Car Challenge participant from The Covenant Christian Academy (CCA), recently interned at Oncor as an EMS Data Intern.

Caraway has since joined Oncor full-time as an Associate Engineer and is grateful for the experience she gained as a former participant.

“Competing in the Solar Car Challenge, and learning about problem-solving and engineering helped prepare me for my current role as an Engineer for Oncor,” Caraway said. “I’m thankful for this organization and the dedicated people who help create an environment where students can learn and be better prepared for our future careers.”

Many eager students are already planning for next year’s competition and how they can further improve their solar car designs. To learn more about the Solar Car Challenge competition, click here. To see results from the race, click here. ​