Looking to enter a solar-car race, but lacking the funds, knowledge and experience?

Newly launched nonprofit organisation (NPO), the South African Solar Car Development Foundation (SASCDF), says it aims to equip high-school learners and tertiary students with the tools to build a solar car, thereby “contributing towards sustainable transportation” in the country.

The NPO was introduced after a number of schools and tertiary institutions expressed their interest in participating in the Sasol Solar Challenge and Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge, driven by a need to experiment with different energy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts. 

However, barriers such as a lack of finance, as well as the necessary skills, are some of the biggest challenges to build a  functioning solar car to participate in these events.

SASCDF hopes to change this by collaborating with industry leaders and specialists with experience in the transportation and alternative energy sectors to assist in upskilling and supporting prospective teams in designing and building solar cars.

“The wheels of sustainable transportation are slowly turning. This means more diverse STEM and energy innovations are required to contribute towards the future of mobility in the country,” says SASCDF founder and director Robert Walker.

“We are, therefore, thrilled to launch the foundation, which aims to attract young minds into STEM-related fields and empower them to develop solar-car projects.”

“The foundation will link solar car projects to the Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge and the Sasol Solar Challenge,” he adds.

“Once a team has acquired all the necessary skills and knowledge and they have built a solar car, they will participate in the Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge to test their car on a closed track and, subsequently, also compete in the Sasol Solar Challenge on the open roads of South Africa.”

Walker is also the owner and director of the Sasol Solar Challenge and Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge events.

“The aim is not to only develop solar car teams for the solar challenges,” he emphasises, “but to grow a group of knowledgeable and experienced scientists and engineers who will transform the transportation sector and make it sustainable in the near future.”

The foundation’s programme will run in three phases:

In phase one tertiary institutions will be able to apply to the foundation from November in order to get their solar-car projects ready for the 2023 Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge, which will take place in July at the Red Star Raceway, in Delmas.

Registrations for high schools will open in March, next year.

In phase two, successful applicants will receive mentorship, basic funding, learning materials and car parts to help start their solar-car projects.

Phase three will see all participating applicants submit status reports on their projects in order to substantiate if their solar-car projects are on track and viable. 

The rest of the funding and all other required materials will then be allocated accordingly.

• The Brunel Solar Team from the Netherlands won this year’s Sasol Solar Challenge, followed by the Agoria team, from Belgium, with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) team placed third. The TUT team won the 2022 Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge.