SolarMobil Manipal
SolarMobil Manipal is a non-profit student engineering team at MIT Manipal (MAHE) that designs, builds, and races solar-electric vehicles for national and international competitions, funded by corporate sponsorships, donations, and paid technical workshops.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersManipal, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SolarMobil Manipal does
SolarMobil Manipal is a non-commercial student engineering team at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), operating under Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), founded in 2011 to design, fabricate, and race solar-electric vehicles. Over 14 years, the team has built six functional solar vehicles progressing from the single-seater FREYR prototype (2011) through India's first passenger solar EV SERVE (2015), India's first four-seater solar car SM S-1 (2017), and up to the latest HELIARK (2024), which achieved a top speed of 95 km/h and third place overall with seven awards at ESVC 2025. The team is currently developing a seventh-generation vehicle '007' for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2027 in Australia.
The team's technical stack spans CAD/FEA (SolidWorks, Ansys, Altair), custom electronics (BMS, MPPT, motor controllers, CAN-based DAQ, RTOS driver displays), and an in-house ML-driven Strategy Subsystem built in Python using a Random Forest Regressor (R² = 0.999) trained on 50,000+ synthetic race simulations, augmented with Monte Carlo Markov Chain uncertainty modeling and Stochastic Model Predictive Control. The team has also internally developed WebSecUltra, a web security analysis platform used for its own digital infrastructure hardening.
SolarMobil operates on a non-profit, sponsorship-funded model. Cash and in-kind support comes from corporate sponsors (Tata Power Solar, Batemo, Altium, MathWorks, Ansys, Altair, SolidWorks, Lotus, and others) in exchange for brand visibility at competitions, supplemented by individual donor fundraising for specific campaigns. A secondary revenue stream is technical workshop fees; the DSEV-2026 workshop on Solar Electric Vehicle design offers tiered pricing from Rs. 424 to Rs. 1,200 per participant. The team does not sell products commercially; its primary 'go-to-market' is competition participation and event visibility, which serves both as engineering validation and sponsor acquisition channel.
SolarMobil Manipal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SolarMobil Manipal
- Legal name
- SolarMobil
- Website
- https://solarmobilmanipal.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SolarMobil Manipal is a non-profit student engineering team at MIT Manipal (MAHE) that designs, builds, and races solar-electric vehicles for national and international competitions, funded by corporate sponsorships, donations, and paid technical workshops.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SolarMobil Manipal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solar Electric Vehicles
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring) (EUAMABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- PV Balance of System (BOS) & Electrical Infrastructure (Inverters, Transformers, Cabling, Substations) (EUACAGAC), Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO)
Keywords
Where SolarMobil Manipal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manipal
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
SolarMobil Manipal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sponsorships and Donations: Corporate and individual sponsors provide financial support, components, software licenses, and technical expertise. Sponsors receive brand visibility through logo placement on vehicles, team uniforms, pit displays, and promotional content at competitions.
- Workshop Fees: Technical workshops on solar electric vehicle design (DSEV-2026) generate revenue through registration fees from students and faculty participants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | UG/PG Students and Scholars from MAHE |
| Unit Pricing | One time | UG/PG Students and Scholars - Non-MAHE |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Academia/Faculty - MAHE |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Academia/Faculty - Non-MAHE |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Diploma/Polytechnic Students - MAHE |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Diploma/Polytechnic Students - Non-MAHE |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
SolarMobil Manipal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SolarMobil Manipal is a student-run nonprofit engineering team that designs, fabricates, and races solar-electric vehicles for national and international competitions. Over 14 years the team has built six fully functional solar EVs spanning single-seater adventure prototypes (FREYR), passenger vehicles (SERVE, SM S-1), and endurance-class racers (SM S-2, ZENITH, HELIARK). The team develops supporting technology including an ML-driven race strategy subsystem, custom Battery Management Systems, MPPT charge controllers, and CAN-based data acquisition, and delivers educational workshops such as DSEV-2026 on solar EV design.
Product overview
SolarMobil Manipal is MAHE's official student solar vehicle team that designs, builds, and races solar-electric vehicles for national and international competitions. The portfolio consists of six solar vehicles spanning from their founding FREYR (2011) prototype through their latest HELIARK (2024). The vehicles progress from single-seater adventure class designs to practical passenger vehicles (SERVE, SM S-1) and cruiser class endurance racers (SM S-2, ZENITH, HELIARK). Beyond the vehicles, the team develops an ML-driven Strategy Subsystem for optimal race speed calculation, and has internally developed WebSecUltra for security analysis of their digital platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HELIARK Latest generation solar electric vehicle representing the culmination of over a decade of engineering learning and innovation by the SolarMobil student team at MIT Manipal. Achieved third place overall and seven major awards at ESVC 2025 with a top speed of 95 km/h.
- ZENITH Solar electric car with bullet-design carbon fiber hybrid composite body on a tubular chassis. Competed in ESVC 2023 (4th position) and secured 1st position in Solar Endurance race at SEVC 2023.
- SM S-2 Two-seater cruiser class solar car designed for the Sasol Solar Challenge South Africa, featuring advanced aerodynamics including an underbody tunnel.
- SM S-1 India's first four-seater family solar passenger car, focusing on blending high efficiency with practicality for everyday use.
- SERVE India's first passenger solar electric vehicle, an innovative two-seater engineered for practical everyday road use. Won QuEST Ingenium award.
- FREYR Founding vehicle of SolarMobil, a single-seater adventure class prototype built using lightweight composite materials with the emerging solar technology of its time. Won Consolation Prize at Manipal University Innovation Day 2011.
- DSEV-2026 Workshop on Design of Solar Electric Vehicles Intensive hands-on technical workshop covering the end-to-end design and engineering of Solar Electric Vehicles, organized by SolarMobil Manipal for UG/PG students, scholars, faculty, and diploma/polytechnic students from MAHE and other Indian institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Third place overall and 7 major awards at ESVC 2025 including Best Design, Best Acceleration, Best Ergonomics & Aesthetics
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SolarMobil Manipal
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SolarMobil Manipal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
SolarMobil Manipal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)coreParent institution providing institutional support, facilities (labs with Bosch Rexroth, ABB, IIT Bombay, Beckhoff Automation), and recognition as MAHE's official student solar vehicle team.
- Tata Power SolarmajorPremium sponsor providing solar technology components and expertise for vehicle solar arrays.
- BatemomajorSponsor providing battery technology solutions.
- AltiummajorProvides PCB design software for custom electronic systems development.
- MathWorksmajorProvides MATLAB and Simulink software for simulation and modeling work.
- AnsysmajorProvides simulation software for structural analysis, fluid dynamics, and thermal testing.
- AltairmajorProvides engineering simulation and optimization software.
- SolidWorksmajorProvides CAD software for vehicle design and modeling.
- LotusminorAutomotive partner providing technical insights and brand association.
- Scolarian RacingminorRacing technology partner providing expertise.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SolarMobil Manipal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Bridgestone World Solar Challenge: Official organizer of the 3,000+ km Australian outback solar race that SolarMobil is preparing to enter in 2027. Comparable as the ecosystem enabler and competition surface that defines the team's next technical benchmark and visibility platform.
Emerging players
- Imperial Society of Innovative Engineers (ISIEINDIA): Organizer of ESVC, the competition platform where SolarMobil has built its track record. Comparable as an emerging ecosystem player enabling and aggregating India's solar-vehicle student teams and competitions.
Direct peers
- Punch Powertrain Solar Team: Belgian student team from KU Leuven competing at the World Solar Challenge and engineering focus on solar EV powertrains. Comparable team size, structure, and competitive targets.
- CUER - Cambridge University Eco Racing: University of Cambridge student team designing and building solar-powered vehicles for the World Solar Challenge. Comparable scale, multidisciplinary student structure, and engineering ambition.
- Solar Team Twente: University of Twente student team competing in the Cruiser class of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with a family-oriented solar vehicle. Mirrors SolarMobil's passenger-vehicle focus and corporate-funded model.
- Tokai University Solar Team: Japanese university solar car team with a long record of dominance at the World Solar Challenge, particularly the Cruiser class. Highly relevant as a peer in cross-class competition strategy and solar vehicle engineering at international events.
- Stanford Solar Car Project: Stanford's multidisciplinary student team designing and racing solar electric vehicles for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Comparable engineering scope, university-team structure, and corporate sponsorship model.
- MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team: MIT student team building solar EVs for the American Solar Challenge and World Solar Challenge. Closely comparable as a technical university-affiliated team pursuing the same engineering competition circuit with corporate sponsorship.
- University of Michigan Solar Car Team: One of the most established and successful student solar racing teams globally, competing in the same World Solar Challenge and American Solar Challenge events that SolarMobil targets. Directly comparable in mission, team structure, sponsorship model, and engineering scope.
- Sonnenwagen Aachen: RWTH Aachen student team that designed and raced the world's first two-seater solar car for family use, which directly parallels SolarMobil's SERVE and SM S-1 milestones. Compares as a European counterpart in the Challenger/Cruiser class.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SolarMobil Manipal social profiles
Digital presenceSolarMobil Manipal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SolarMobil Manipal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
SolarMobil Manipal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SolarMobil Manipal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SolarMobil Manipal
What does SolarMobil Manipal do?
SolarMobil Manipal is a student-run nonprofit engineering team that designs, fabricates, and races solar-electric vehicles for national and international competitions. Over 14 years the team has built six fully functional solar EVs spanning single-seater adventure prototypes (FREYR), passenger vehicles (SERVE, SM S-1), and endurance-class racers (SM S-2, ZENITH, HELIARK). The team develops supporting technology including an ML-driven race strategy subsystem, custom Battery Management Systems, MPPT charge controllers, and CAN-based data acquisition, and delivers educational workshops such as DSEV-2026 on solar EV design.
Is SolarMobil Manipal a public or private company?
SolarMobil Manipal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SolarMobil Manipal founded?
SolarMobil Manipal was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SolarMobil Manipal based?
SolarMobil Manipal is headquartered in Manipal, India, in the Asia region.
How does SolarMobil Manipal make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Sponsorships and Donations are the primary driver. The others are workshop Fees.
Who are SolarMobil Manipal's main competitors?
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is listed as an others. Imperial Society of Innovative Engineers (ISIEINDIA) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Punch Powertrain Solar Team, CUER - Cambridge University Eco Racing, Solar Team Twente, Tokai University Solar Team, Stanford Solar Car Project, MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team, University of Michigan Solar Car Team and Sonnenwagen Aachen.
Does SolarMobil Manipal have an API?
No public API is recorded for SolarMobil Manipal.
What industry is SolarMobil Manipal in?
SolarMobil Manipal's product category is Solar Electric Vehicles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMABAH, Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring), with a secondary code of EUACAGAC, PV Balance of System (BOS) & Electrical Infrastructure (Inverters, Transformers, Cabling, Substations). Its NAICS code is 54142 and its SIC code is 3829.