‘Taste the sun’ - Young engineers take on South Africa’s solar challenge
Key Takeaways
- University teams are driving solar-powered cars from Johannesburg towards Cape Town.
- Teams compete to accumulate the most kilometres, not finish first.
- The challenge tests solar technology against terrain, weather and energy demands.
University teams are putting solar-powered vehicles and engineering skills to the test on a journey of more than 2,500 kilometres from Johannesburg towards Cape Town.
Solar-powered vehicles have set off from Johannesburg as young engineers and university teams begin a journey of more than 2,500 kilometres towards Cape Town in the 2026 Sasol Solar Challenge.
The unusual vehicles lined up on Thursday as teams made final adjustments and checked electrical components before heading onto the city streets.
Unlike a traditional race, speed alone will not determine the winner.
"The winner is not the team that arrives first, but the team that accrues the most kilometres over the course," event director Rob Walker said.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Malaria surge in Sudan’s Khartoum as millions return home
"Each day, we have a set minimum that the teams must achieve, and then they have optional loop stops where they can rack up extra kilometres. So we are a distance-first competition," he added.
Terrain Puts Solar Cars to Test
Denzel Brits, a mechanical engineering student and driver for North-West University, said the distance itself was not his biggest concern.
"2,500 kilometres is a long distance, but that's not the biggest challenge. I think the biggest challenge we will be facing is the terrain," Brits said.
"Even just a slight uphill means demanding power from the batteries," he added, warning that dust, rain and cloud cover could also affect solar charging.
North-West University's Solar Eagle team has developed a tilting solar panel to maximise the amount of energy collected during the journey.
"Our car has a unique feature of having a tilting wing that we can rotate during the day so that the panel looks at the sun the whole time," team manager Dr Kruger explained.
"This system works automatically by looking at the shading of the car and the GPS coordinates to calculate the angle that must be tilted to look at the sun in the best possible way," he continued.
‘Press on That Accelerator and Taste the Sun’
For Central University of Technology driver Masheko Mhore, taking part also carries significance beyond the competition.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Amputee left homeless by Colombia earthquake pleads for help
"I am paving a way not just for a female, but for our kind, our African Black people," Mhore said. "Being part of the people that are paving the way is really amazing."
"We've done all the math, we've done all the calculations. We did our best, and all we can do is just press on that accelerator and taste the sun," she added.
The Sasol Solar Challenge runs from September 10 to 17. Teams compete to accumulate the greatest distance rather than simply reaching the finish line first.
The event also includes a schools programme aimed at encouraging young learners to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
