FUTURE MOBILITY | Documentary

University and FH Aachen as they compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with their solar car Covestro Adelie.

From Darwin to Adelaide, the race crosses more than 3,000 kilometres of Australian Outback. We accompanied the team through preparation, testing, technical setbacks, strategic decisions and the physical and mental demands of the competition.

But the film is about more than a solar car reaching the finish line.

It is a story about innovation, teamwork and resilience – and about a generation of young engineers trying to turn ambitious ideas into working technology.

Future mobility in a real-world laboratory

The World Solar Challenge becomes the starting point for questions that reach far beyond motorsport: How efficient can mobility become? What role can solar energy play in future transport? And what can established industry learn from young engineers who approach mobility from a different perspective?

To connect the team’s journey with the wider transformation of mobility, energy and industry, the documentary combines the story from Australia with perspectives from science, business and politics.

Contributors include science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, neuroscientist and author Prof. Dr. Maren Urner, former Opel and Continental CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Covestro CCO Sucheta Govil, Siemens DACH CEO Klaus Löckel, NRW Minister for Environment and Transport Oliver Krischer, RWTH Aachen Rector Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rüdiger, former Mercedes-Benz aerodynamics expert Teddy Woll and World Solar Challenge Managing Director Chris Selwood.

Their perspectives place the very concrete challenge of designing and racing a solar vehicle within a much larger discussion about technology, energy and the future of mobility.

Award-winning documentary

“SONNENWAGEN – FUTURE MOBILITY” received 1st Place in the Documentary category at the New York Tri-State International Film Festival.

For us, the project became more than a commissioned production. It is a documentary about people who do not simply discuss transformation – they design it, test it and drive it across Australia.

From documentary development and scriptwriting to filming in Australia, interviews, cinematography and complete post-production, the production was realised by Department Studios. The original score and sound design were also created specifically for the film.

Credits

Production: Department Studios Filmproduktion Frankfurt
Concept, Script & Direction: Thomas Pohl
Cinematography: Adrian Vidak · Henry Pohl · Moritz Mitzel · Thomas Pohl
Music: Thomas Pohl

Our Services

Documentary development · concept and script · international film production · direction · cinematography · expert interviews · production in Australia · drone footage · editing and post-production · color grading · original music · sound design