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The Sasol Solar Challenge is a South African endurance challenge for solar-powered vehicles, with classes for
Official site
{{Photovoltaics Solar car races Science and technology in South Africa Photovoltaics
The Sasol Solar Challenge is a South African endurance challenge for solar-powered vehicles, with classes for hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids.
The basic princi ...
s, electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes ch ...
s, and biofuel
Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration ...
-powered vehicle
A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...
s as well. Recognised by the International Solarcar Federation, the first challenge was run in 2008, and every two years thereafter. The event covers roughly 2,500 km, but has set loops for teams to repeat, with the potential to do 5,000 km. The current record, held by Dutch team Nuon, is 4,716 km, set in 2016 in their car Nuna
Nuna is the name of a series of manned solar powered race cars that have won the World Solar Challenge in Australia seven times: in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The vehicles are built by students who are part of the "Brunel Sola ...
. The challenge route may change from year to year, and it is planned to run from Pretoria to Stellenbosch in 2018.
Objective
The primary objective is to design, manage, build and racesolar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...
ed-vehicles across South Africa. The challenge sees a collaboration between pupils, students, private individuals and various industry and government partners, to work together to have a safe, technology-rich event. Moreover, the challenge is seen as an educational tool to focus on and communicate about science and technology to the broad public.
See also
* North American Solar Challenge * Race The Sun *World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), since 2013 named Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, is an international event for solar powered cars driving 3000 kilometres through the Australian outback.
With the exception of a four-year gap between ...
* Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge
* The Quiet Achiever
The Quiet Achiever, also known as the Holden Solar Trek, was the world's first practical long-distance solar vehicle, solar-powered car powered entirely by photovoltaic solar cells.
The project was promoted by adventurer Hans Tholstrup, with th ...
, the world's first solar-powered racecar
External links
Official site
{{Photovoltaics Solar car races Science and technology in South Africa Photovoltaics