This year's event, which starts in Darwin on Sunday 22 October, has attracted 43 teams from 23 countries - the largest group of teams since the event was first staged in 1987.

More than 1200 participants will take part, competing in three classes of solar vehicles - Challenger, Cruiser and Adventure - as they travel more than 3000km through the centre of the Australian Outback, and finish in Adelaide.

The event sees some of Australia’s and the world's brightest minds from high schools, universities and industry use technology to drive innovation and sustainability. Participants from previous years have gone on to work at leading tech companies including Tesla, SpaceX and Google.

Among the competitors will be South Australian teams including Flinders Solar Car, Adelaide University Solar Racing and the South Australian Solar Vehicle Association which includes TAFE SA alumni and St Patrick’s Technical College students.

Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Director Chris Selwood AM said the event - which wasn't staged in 2021 because of COVID-19 travel restrictions - raised awareness of what a sustainable future could look like.

“As consumers increasingly look to more sustainable options to petrol driven cars and governments strive for renewable energy solutions, this event raises awareness to the possibilities of not just what could be, but what can be achieved now,” Mr Selwood said.

“The value of this event extends well beyond solar cars and the 3000km they travel. The value lies in its people and the lessons they learn.”

For more information about the event, visit World Solar Challenge.