SolarWind – Raf Van Hulle’s Sun Trip-Winning Solar Bikes

If one person stands for long-distance solar cycling, it is Raf Van Hulle, an architect from Mechelen in Belgium. He won the first Sun Trip in 2013: 33 riders left Savoie in France on 15 June, and Raf rode into Astana, Kazakhstan on 23 July, the first to arrive after about 7,500 km in 37 days, through Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

In 2015 he finished second. In 2018 he won again: the Sun Trip’s Silk Road edition from Lyon to Guangzhou in China, about 12,000 km. He arrived more than a week ahead of the next rider. His bike then weighed about 55 kg with about 1,000 W of power and cruised at 35–38 km/h, covering around 300 km per day. “It’s a passion. I am really interested in new technology,” he said.

From those races came the SolarWind trailer, which Raf now offers to other riders. The current version carries a 225 Wp SunPower panel (157 × 67 cm) on a tilting frame, extendable to 337 Wp while riding. The trailer itself weighs 15 kg with one panel, takes up to 20 kg / 100 litres of luggage, runs on a single 20″ wheel and is made of light aluminium. A second 225 Wp panel can be added on top.

His newest project is the KISS e-tandem / “Solar Glider“: a recumbent with a streamlined windshield and integrated solar panel, two telescopic, tiltable 225 W panels, all-wheel drive, a chainless drivetrain with a pedal generator and regenerative braking. It converts into a tandem in minutes and, according to Raf, uses half the energy of a regular speed pedelec. He rode in The Sun Trip 2024 (destination Sahara) and plans a Sun Trip World Tour for 2027.

Build your own? Start with our guides on LiFePO4 batteries and the DIY off-grid solar e-bike.

Technical data

Links

• Website: rafvanhulle.be
• Facebook: facebook.com/raf.vanhulle
• Facebook: facebook.com/ridethesolarwind

Sources

• The Sun Trip: Raf Van Hulle (ST24)
• Astana Times (2013)
• VRT News (2018)
• rafvanhulle.be: SolarWind
• rafvanhulle.be: KISS