Page 20 - IFV_Issue 10_2022

Motoring

2022 SASOL SOLAR CHALLENGE

Striving to ignite curiosity and a love for science

and engineering in our younger generation

ow in its 14th year, the South
African Sasol Solar Challenge
Nwas back in full force this year.
Among the nine teams that participated
was a group of high school learners
that managed to surpass their goal of
covering 1 000km by more than 200km.
The Sasol Solar Challenge entails
conceptualising, designing and
building a car that is able to cover
large distances using sunlight that is
converted to solar power. This ticks all
the boxes for students both at school
and university level, in that it requires
the practical application of STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) principles.
Sasol started sponsoring the event in
2012, four years after it began, and has
continued to do so to encourage further
development in solar technology.
The challenge was inspired by the
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
that has been held in Australia since
1987. Now run and owned by a firm of
experienced events professionals based
in Centurion, this event has over the
years attracted participants from Hong
Kong, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Belgium,
The Netherlands and Turkey, and has
often included the top global solar
racing teams.
The eight-day event this year took
place from 9 – 16 September. Starting
from the Carnival City Casino in Brakpan,
the 2022 route to the finish line at the
V&A Waterfront in Cape Town went
through five provinces and 18 towns
that included Trompsburg, Willowmore,
Kirkwood, Jeffreys Bay, Riversdale and
Caledon. The vehicles were required to
use the public roads, sharing space with
trucks and regular traffic. At each stage,
large crowds turned out to welcome the

18 • Issue 10 2022 • The Villager