Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. announced that it has donated $50,000 to both the Stanford Solar Car Project and the University of California, Berkeley’s CalSol teams in order to help fund the teams’ participation in the 2011 World Solar Challenge. The funds will help cover the costs of designing and building the solar vehicles, as well as the fees to enter the competition.

The 2011 World Solar Challenge began on Oct. 16, 2011 in Darwin, Australia, with more than 30 teams competing from all across the globe. The event is held on a 3000km (1,864mi) course that crosses through the center of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. Once the teams leave Darwin, they will compete to be the first to cross the finish line in Adelaide in their solar vehicle.

“This has been an excellent opportunity to reiterate our commitment to sustainable mobility. It’s important to promote automotive programs at world-class universities like Stanford University and UC Berkeley and get the student community excited about automobiles. This is important for the continued success of our long term relationships and collaborations with such universities.” said Dr. Peter Oel, Director of the Volkswagen AG Electronics Research Lab (ERL). The ERL represents the entire Volkswagen Group in applied research and development. Its mission is to develop innovations and technologies for future generations of cars, and to transfer technologies from many industries into the automotive domain.

CalSol, the UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team, is a non-profit organization composed of more than 50 students from the highest ranked public university in the nation. CalSol’s purpose is to build, design, test, and race fully solar powered vehicles. Through participation in races and events, the team aims to raise awareness of renewable energy and solar vehicle technology.

The Stanford Solar Car Project is an entirely student-run organization. Its 22 members are passionate about environmentally sustainable technology and, over a two-year design and build cycle, builds a solar powered vehicle from the ground up.