Innoptus Solar Team wins 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with the support of Axalta

Axalta, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has congratulated the Innoptus Solar Team from the University of Leuven, Belgium, on defending its World Champion title in the Projecta Challenger Class of the biennial Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

The race, the first World Solar Challenge since 2019, ended in the coastal city of Adelaide in South Australia with Infinite crossing the finish line at 10:44 Australian Central Daylight Time on 26 October 2023 after a 3,021 km journey from Darwin. The students from the Belgian university showcased their ingenuity in engineering and innovation in the manufacturing of the Team’s single-seater solar car, Infinite, which was painted by Axalta’s premium Refinish brand Cromax® and which sports the paint manufacturer’s logo.

Olaf Adamek, Axalta Refinish Brand Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says: “Congratulations to the whole team on this impressive achievement. It is an honour to be part of the Team’s journey once again and fantastic to see that all the hard work has paid off.”

Infinite’s victorious journey lasted 34 hours, four minutes and 41 seconds, 48 minutes faster than the Team’s 2019 win. After travelling at an average speed of 88.2 km/h, it charged across the finish line in Adelaide 20 minutes ahead of its nearest rival.

Infinite was painted at Axalta’s world-class training facility, the Axalta Refinish Academy, in Mechelen, Belgium. The Ultra Performance Energy System from Cromax, which uses revolutionary and patented Axalta Fast Cure Low Energy technology, was the obvious choice in the paint system to be used. The technology considerably reduces energy consumption in the spray booth while still achieving the best quality repair, meeting both the Team’s goals on sustainability and having a coating system that could withstand the extreme heat and climatic conditions during the race.

The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge was launched in 1987. The 3,021 km route included nine mandatory check points, where the teams stopped and performed basic maintenance. The fully self-sufficient participants travelled as far as they could until 17:00 each day before setting up camp in the desert, wherever they happened to be.