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Dutch champs, six SA universities gear up for 2014 solar car race

The 2005 Nuna 3

Photo by Reuters

UKZN's Apalis

NWU's Son-e-wa

The Nuna 7

25th July 2014

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The biennial Sasol Solar Challenge will kick off on September 27, in Pretoria, and end in Cape Town, on October 4.

Fourteen teams will take part, of which eight are local, says race project manager Annalie van Vuuren.

There are four classes in the race, with the Olympia class likely to draw the most attention, as it will host the high-tech solar cars that also participate in other solar races around the globe.

There are 11 competitors in this class, says Van Vuuren.

The local teams are from the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Cape Town, the Tshwane University of Technology, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the North-West University (NWU).

Local school competitors include the Maragon Private Schools Olympus and the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg (DSJ).

Maragon will race with NWU’s 2012 Sasol Solar Challenge car, while DSJ will use UJ’s previous racing vehicle.

International competitors include world champion team Nuna, from the Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, the University of Northern Cyprus, in Turkey, and Anadolu University, also in Turkey.

There is still a possibility that the Japanese team from Tokai University, which won the 2012 Sasol Solar Challenge, may return for the 2014 race, says race director Winstone Jordaan.

He expects local teams to be more competitive than in the 2012 race.

In 2012 local teams were half to one-third of the distance behind the teams from abroad. This year, however, the race is expected to be much closer.

Two local university teams had members travel overseas to learn more about international solar racing.

The Adventure class of the 2014 Sasol Solar Challenge accommodates three-wheeler solar cars, and will have two competitors, both from abroad.

The Cruiser class features solar cars that are more practical and made for everyday use, rather than racing. They often feature between two and four seats, while the others have only a driver seat.

There is one competitor, an Indian team, in this class.

The fourth class is the sustainability fleet, with two divisions. The technology class features any in-my-workshop developed vehicle not driven by an internal combustion engine, while the regularity race will allow all road-legal vehicles, also not driven by traditional engines, to participate.

Jordaan says he would prefer to see electric vehicles enter this class, such as the Nissan Leaf.

The list of participants in the fourth class has not yet been finalised.

The Sasol Solar Challenge 2014 is not a fixed-distance race, where the fastest vehicle wins, as was the case in 2012. This year’s event is about maximising and managing the vehicles’ energy.

Each of the eight stages is around 260 km long, with the race 2 000 km in total.

However, each day teams must decide how many loops their vehicle can complete in addition to this stage, with loops varying in length between 58 and 130 km.

Vehicles can only be charged by the sun during the race.

“We expect the strongest teams to do around 600 km a day,” says Van Vuuren.

The race will travel through Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Colesberg, Graaff-Reinet, Port Elizabeth, Knysna and Swellendam.

This year’s race is coupled to an educational programme, where around 480 schools will include solar modules in their teaching.

Schools will also build model solar cars, and race these on their premises, or at the Cape Town finish.

“We want to promote science, technology, engineering and maths at school level,” says Van Vuuren.

The race itself will also be a green event, adds Jordaan, with all waste carefully managed.

He says the public is welcome to see the solar vehicles in action during the pre-race test days at the Zwartkops raceway on September 25 and 26.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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