Archimede takes part in
BWSC 2025 with Thalia
The sicilian startup Archimede took part for the first time in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025, the world’s most important competition dedicated to solar-powered vehicles. Participating in the Australian event allowed the team not only to successfully complete the 3,000 km from Darwin to Adelaide with Thalia, the solar prototype developed in less than a year, but also to field test ArcMesh, the proprietary satellite device designed to revolutionize connectivity in remote areas and critical scenarios.
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is the global competition that has been pushing the boundaries of sustainable mobility for over thirty years. Every two years, teams from universities and research centers around the world cross the Australian outback in highly energy-efficient vehicles powered exclusively by solar energy.
Participants travel 3,000 km from Darwin to Adelaide under extreme conditions, testing both the engineering of the vehicles and the innovative capabilities of the teams that develop them.
Thalia: the solar prototype by Archimede
Archimede participated in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with Thalia, the solar prototype designed and developed by the sicilian startup in less than a year. The team successfully completed the entire route, reaching the finish line in Adelaide and ranking eighth in the Cruiser Class.
Thalia is much more than a solar vehicle: it’s a laboratory on wheels designed to enable and validate ArcMesh, a customizable, low-cost satellite device developed to provide connectivity in the most critical and remote areas. The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, with its hostile environment and total lack of network coverage, was the perfect testing ground to test the system’s reliability.
An international innovation ecosystem
The BWSC allowed Archimede to join a global network of university teams, tech companies, and researchers engaged in the development of innovative, highly engineering-intensive solutions. This international exchange enriched the team and opened up new opportunities for collaboration.
ArcMesh: Archimede’s satellite technology
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge was a milestone in the growth of the sicilian startup, which continues to work on new projects to test and validate its proprietary satellite technology.
ArcMesh is the modular satellite system developed by Archimede to provide reliable connectivity, remote asset management, and critical data collection in any geographical or operational context.
Equipped with an integrated software platform, the device is designed to configure, monitor, and control:
- energy and environmental infrastructures
- devices and machinery in remote areas
- precision agriculture systems
- security and defense applications
- sensor networks and industrial assets
- critical data in emergency scenarios
The Australian crossing was a crucial confirmation of ArcMesh’s reliability. In fact, the extreme conditions of the Australian desert, such as high temperatures, continuous vibrations, and a total absence of traditional networks, provided a real and highly challenging operating environment, allowing the system to be validated in scenarios that would be impossible to replicate in laboratory settings.
“Thalia was not just a competition car, but a real laboratory on wheels,” says Riccardo Puglisi, founder of Archimede. “The BWSC allowed us to test the performance and robustness of ArchMesh in real and continuous conditions. It was a key step towards the industrial and strategic applications of our technology.”
E-Mobility Spacelink: from Sicily to Space Economy
Following the BWSC, Archimede continues its innovation journey with E-Mobility Spacelink, a project developed in collaboration with Planetek and Arthur D. Little, selected and supported by ESA BIC Brindisi.
E-Mobility Spacelink integrates satellite data, smart sensors, and predictive models to optimize electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Innovation Made in Sicily
The Australian experience demonstrated how high-tech companies can emerge and thrive in Southern Italy, competing globally and developing solutions suitable for the energy, industrial, logistics, and security sectors.
“The BWSC is just a starting point,” concludes the team. “We will continue to develop accessible and resilient satellite technologies designed to improve connectivity and data management for businesses, institutions, and communities.”