Page 22 - IFV_Issue 10_2022

Motoring

participants and school children were were: a marathon stage (which started event to incorporate such stages. This
given talks on how the technology was in Kroonstad and finished in Gariep) that shows how much the event has grown
being utilised. required teams to work on their solar and continues to drive innovation both
There were a number of first entries cars in a closed and secured area with in the structure of the challenge itself
this year – the Genuine JV Solar Car built limited workforce; as well as half and full and the technologies developed by
by the team of high school students, blind stages, where information relating the teams,” commented Robert Walker,
as well as entries from UNISA, the to the route was withheld until the night Owner and Director of the Sasol Solar
University of the Free State, Solar Flair before the teams took to the road. This Challenge.
built by a team of private engineers forced them to strategise at the last Prior to the start of the event, a team
based in Mpumalanga, and the current minute without prior preparation. from the CSIR (Council for Scientific and
World Champions, a team of Belgian “The teams found these new Industrial Research) was involved in
engineers that entered as the Agoria developments to be quite daunting, scrutineering the safety of the solar cars
Solar Team. but exciting at the same time, as they and performed electrical and battery
Strategy and adventure were the key required them to work together to fix safety tests. There was also a schools
themes for this year’s solar challenge, their solar cars, navigate the route, programme that ran alongside the event,
with the ultimate aim to cover the measure speed limits, while also taking which was conducted in partnership
greatest distance. To make the event into consideration the need to cover as with Microbotics, a service provider
more exciting, this year’s challenge many kilometres as possible. The Sasol that offers robotics, programming and
incorporated special stages, which Solar Challenge is the first-ever solar electronic modules for scholars.

20 • Issue 10 2022 • The Villager