The Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team (QSVT) was a dynamic, multidisciplinary student design project at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose goal was to design and build vehicles that are solely powered by the sun’s energy. One of the two original Canadian teams, the Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team has designed, built and raced solar powered vehicles since 1988. During this time the team had risen to be one of the top teams on the international solar car racing circuit, participating in numerous solar vehicle races, including The Canadian Solar Discovery Challenge, the North American Solar Challenge (NASC) and the World Solar Challenge.
The team has completed its 11th vehicle, which raced in 2007 and 2008. The team competed in two major races every two years. The North American Solar Challenge is held in July of every second year, typically spanning nearly 4000 km of North America over ten days. The World Solar Challenge, often called the world’s premier solar car race, runs from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia, several months after the NASC.
As of the completion of the NASC 2008, the Queen’s Solar Vehicle Team has been retired. The team was transformed into the Queen’s University Solar Design Team which competes in the Solar Decathlon competition.