BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s storied legacy of solar vehicle racing marked a new milestone on July 10, as Team Sunergy unveiled its next-generation vehicle, Autumn, a decade after the student-led team first competed.
Supporters, friends, donors, alumni and the public mingled with the team in an enthusiastic unveiling and race send-off at the Holmes Convocation Center on App State’s Boone campus. Team Sunergy hopes the new two-person car — 40% lighter and 60% more aerodynamic than its predecessor, ROSE (Racing on Solar Energy) — will carry them to victory at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), set for July 17–23 at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. The track race serves as the qualifier for the Electrek American Solar Challenge (ASC) — a more than 1,500-mile road race from Minneapolis to Amarillo, Texas, on July 25–Aug. 1.
App State Team Sunergy kept Autumn, its new solar racing vehicle, carefully under wraps until the car’s unveiling, which took place July 10 on App State’s Boone campus. Photo illustration by Kyla Willoughby
“This is a race where we really have a chance to compete for first again — and we really want it,” said team manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26. “We’re very excited. The last five years of work are coming down to this summer.”
Team Sunergy — scrappy, independent and known for lending a helping hand to other teams during competition — has reached podium finishes in multiple past races, beating more heavily resourced teams from elite universities. This race cycle, the team will go up against multiple newly engineered vehicles from universities with top-notch engineering schools, but they have important leverage points — deep experience in building and racing and a vehicle with a more powerful battery than ROSE and an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber composite frame.
App State Team Sunergy puts its next-generation solar racing vehicle, Autumn, through track testing at North Wilkesboro Speedway ahead of the car’s unveiling, which took place July 10 on App State’s Boone campus. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State’s Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren, vice chancellor of research and innovation, highlighted Team Sunergy’s role in providing students with interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experiences that foster excellence in creativity, innovation and collaboration while building skills in areas ranging from solar and mechanical design to engineering and fabrication.
“Team Sunergy members learn team dynamics, leadership and strategy, but they also find a home centered around community and shared endeavor — where grit and determination carry these talented problem-solvers to consistent victories,” said Hendren.
App State Team Sunergy manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26 delivers remarks on the team’s long journey to the unveiling of its new solar racing vehicle, Autumn, which took place July 10 at the Holmes Convocation Center on App State’s Boone campus. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Howard, who holds App State degrees in sustainable technology and renewable energy technology, emphasized that the team’s collective racing experience and inside-out knowledge of the new vehicle will be essential to their success in the upcoming FSGP and ASC.
“This entire team has been to a race before, and they’ve been through the build process of this car,” he said. “They know how to work on the car, they know how to solve problems and they understand the systems very well.”
Pictured from left to right: Team Sunergy members Mike Burry, Ethan Cornell ’25, Ryan Densmore ’25 and Nathan Care ’26 inspect the new vehicle’s solar array after the team’s first mock American Solar Challenge practice in Morganton. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Team Sunergy media lead Edd Whynot secures his helmet before stepping into the passenger seat of the team’s new solar car for testing at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Team manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26, left, and Ariana Jones ’26, co-lead for electrical systems, prepare Team Sunergy’s new racing vehicle’s mold for the installation of solar arrays. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Team Sunergy members Andy Bir ’25, left, and Lukas Wallen ’25 assemble the suspension of the team’s new solar racing vehicle. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Team Sunergy members Ariana Jones ’26, in foreground, Eli Poulsen ’26, back left, and senior Jacob Calder, back right, clean the mold in preparation for carbon fiber layups to build the top panels of the team’s new solar car. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State graduate student and Team Sunergy electrical sub-lead Ryan Densmore ’25 assembles a custom telemetry board for the team’s new solar car. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Pictured from left to right: App State alumni and Team Sunergy advisor Patrick Laney ’23, team chef Kier Presler-Marshall ’23 and team manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26 work together to use pressurized air to remove the new solar car’s aeroshell from the mold. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
More than a project — a community
A hallmark of student-led experiential learning at App State, Team Sunergy draws students from across numerous disciplines and has helped its graduates jump-start promising careers.
Team driver and mechanical member Mike Burry has been deeply involved in engineering, designing, machining and tuning Autumn. From Troutman, Burry is a senior studying industrial design with a focus in product design.
“Being a part of this team means everything to me,” he said. “I spend just as much time at the shop hanging out with everyone and working on the car as I do at school or work. On top of building skills, I have really come to believe the old saying ‘Your network is your net worth.’ I have met so many capable people with so many skill sets that when we work together, we can do some amazing things.”
Team Sunergy members Ariana Jones ’26, left, and Zach Howard ’25 ’26 place carbon fiber sheets in the top half of the mold of Team Sunergy’s new solar racing vehicle. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Team manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26 works inside the carbon fiber composite frame of Team Sunergy’s new solar racing vehicle. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
The 35-member team has been putting the vehicle through extensive road testing at the North Wilkesboro Speedway and used the A2 Wind Tunnel in Mooresville to refine aerodynamics. Key to the vehicle’s development are the aerospace design skills of Patrick Laney ’23, who has remained involved with App State’s solar racing team since his first year at App State.
“It never felt like an option for me to walk away — at least not until I felt like my original goals had been achieved,” said Laney, a former Team Sunergy mechanical lead and team manager who went to work for VX Aerospace in Morganton after graduating from App State.
Refining nearly every system in the car, Laney’s projects have included computer simulations of aerodynamics and validating those simulations in the wind tunnel.
“There is nowhere else that provides the opportunity to learn better, to build cooler things or compete in such an amazing competition,” Laney said.
Ariana Jones ’26, of Raleigh, is co-lead for electrical systems, ensuring Autumn’s reliability and efficiency. Jones joined the team during her first year at App State, after seeing the solar car at a campus Club Expo. She reflected on her years working across multiple subteams, handling carbon fiber manufacturing, outreach and community engagement, where she developed leadership, collaboration and technical skills along the way.
“Being part of Team Sunergy means contributing to a truly one-of-a-kind engineering project. It has been one of the most impactful experiences of my college career,” said Jones, who graduated from App State this spring with a bachelor’s degree in building sciences-sustainable building systems. “Beyond the engineering challenges, the team has given me lifelong friendships and memories I will carry with me long after graduation.”
Pictured from left to right: App State senior Emma Brown, sophomore Macie Brock, senior Caroline Flanigan and alumnus Ethan Cornell ’25 prepare carbon fiber sheets to be placed in the aeroshell mold of Team Sunergy’s new solar racing vehicle. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
The unique nature of the project means the team can be faced with challenges it can’t anticipate, offering members key lessons in adaptability and resilience, Jones said.
“The ability to adjust, problem-solve and keep moving forward despite uncertainty is something that will serve me well throughout my career,” she said.
Team media lead Edd Whynot, a senior from Apex majoring in graphic communication management, spotted the solar car on his way to class and joined Team Sunergy in November 2023. After years of designing virtual paint schemes for friends competing in online racing, he got to live a dream, he said — creating the wrap design for a real car that will compete on the international stage.
“Surrounding myself with people who are as driven as my teammates is infectious,” Whynot said. “We all have a collective goal, and so much hard work and effort have gone into making this car the best car in the competition.”
The solar vehicle team is supported by App State’s Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics, with a mix of industry, university and private sponsorships funding support. The build of the team’s new vehicle was also made possible through generous collaboration with Catawba College, which provided funding for materials and parts. With the goal of supporting and inspiring new collegiate solar vehicle teams in North Carolina, Team Sunergy has provided training and mentorship to assist the college’s developing solar vehicle team.
Team Sunergy got its start in fall 2013 with a solar-powered golf cart project and has since won podium finishes in every year of competition in both the FSGP and ASC, including a first-place finish in the 2021 ASC. The team’s first vehicle, Apperion, was a modified single-occupant race car built using a donated shell from Iowa State University in 2015; it was replaced by ROSE in 2018 and later donated to Catawba College.
Visit sunergy.appstate.edu to learn more about App State’s Team Sunergy.
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Team Sunergy shifts gears to building its most advanced solar vehicle yet
About App State’s Team Sunergy
Appalachian State University’s internationally recognized Team Sunergy is an interdisciplinary, student-led team with a passion for sustainable transportation — and the ingenuity, innovation and drive to create it. The team began in fall 2013, as a class project to build a solar-powered golf cart, and has evolved into an award-winning program that has achieved podium finishes in every year of competition in both the Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge (ASC), including first-place finishes in both the 2021 and 2026 ASCs. Both collegiate races set the standards for and test the limits of solar vehicle technology. Team Sunergy’s first vehicle, Apperion, was a modified single-occupant race car; it was replaced by the two-passenger ROSE (Racing on Solar Energy) in 2018, and in summer 2026, the team unveiled its current vehicle, Autumn — a two-passenger Cruiser Class car. Learn more about App State’s Team Sunergy at https://sunergy.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
Team Sunergy shifts gears to building its most advanced solar vehicle yet
