UNSW's solar racing team is celebrating its victory in the Global Green Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide. Sunswift IV was the first Australian car to cross the finish line.

As the top-placed silicon cell car, it's a double win for the elated members of the student-led team, who completed their epic campaign yesterday afternoon.

This was the debut race for Sunswift IV, nicknamed IVy, a three-wheeled, hand-built carbon fibre solar vehicle. The car cruises at 90km/h and can reach a top speed of 115km/h using just 1,300 watts, the same amount of power it takes to toast two slices of bread.

Team Leader Clara Mazzone, who is studying Renewable Energy Engineering, said the Sunswift team had put in an extraordinary effort to prepare the new car and raise the $280,000 needed to fund the project and race campaign.

She thanked the main University sponsors - UNSW Engineering, NICTA and UNSW Global - for their support, along with the team's other major sponsors, aircraft maker Boeing and sustainable marketing agency Sunshine n Water.

In the overall results, the team was fifth on the road and fourth in their class. The 3000km endurance test for eco-friendly vehicles draws competitors from around the world, including big-budget solar racing teams from the US and the Netherlands.

Sunswift IV was the only student-run team from Australia to contest the race.

Media contact: Clara Mazzone, Project Leader | 0449 160 600; Jono Pye, Team Leader | 0413 229 761 | Denise Knight, UNSW Media Office | 0405 207 685