By Anzet du Plessis
The Sasol Solar Challenge held biennially in South Africa attracts some of the best solar teams in the world, including professional solar competitors.
On day 1Â both local and international teams competing in the 2,000 kilometre challenge across the country broke the single-day distance records held by the event.
Dutch team Nuon broke the Sasol Solar Challenge record for the furthest distance travelled by a solar-powered car in a single day. The 658 kilometre record was previously held by Japanese team Tokai, and was set at 707 kilometres by Nuon.
Despite their accident during scrutineering, North-West University’s solar team broke the record for the longest distance covered in a single day by a South African team.
In 2012, the UKZN team set the record at 300 kilometres. North-West University’s Siriusx25 covered an incredible 560 kilometres on day 1 of this year’s event in their custom-built solar car.
But there’s still a long way to go until a champion can be crowned.
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“This is only the first day of the eight-day event, and we look forward to many more records being broken,” said Sasol Solar Challenge director, Winstone Jordaan. “This year’s Sasol Solar Challenge has some of the most competitive teams ever to compete on South African roads, and it’s encouraging to see how driven they are to take the Challenge to a new level.”
The day has also had its disappointments. South African school team Deutsche Schule Johannesburg withdrew their car from the challenge shortly before the start. After being among four solar cars to fail the tough scrutineering process, the team decided it would not be able to make the necessary reparations to their vehicle in time given to compete.
This year’s #SasolSolarChallenge has some of the most competitive teams ever to compete on South African roads. Follow @Solar_Challenge pic.twitter.com/EaCqjx7NAg
— Sasol (@SasolSA) September 25, 2016
These 11 teams will continue the journey through the country, following the road from Kroonstad to Bloemfontein through Theunissen.
The Sasol Solar Challenge, which is open to the public and media, stops in towns en route in order to showcase the exciting marvels of engineering, hoping to inspire the future scientists of South Africa.
