The ten teams competing in this year’s Sasol Solar Challenge faced their first hurdle when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) scrutinised vehicles in order to get the go-ahead for participation in this year’s race.

Scrutineers spent two days at the Zwartkop Raceway in Centurion to ensure that these solar-powered vehicles not only meet the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile  FIA regulations, but are safe and stable enough to compete on public roads in this epic challenge. The challenge will start in Pretoria on 27 September and end some 2 000 km later in Cape Town, on 4 October.

The route has pit-stops in Sasolburg, Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Colesberg, Graaff-Reinet, Port Elizabeth, Knysna and Swellendam and cars will cover around 260 km a day, powered only by sunlight.

As a key partner to the Sasol Solar Challenge and staunch supporter of solar research, the CSIR contributes towards the solar challenge by making its technical and scientific staff available to help to handle the vehicle assessment process.

Scrutineer, Tumelo Motloutsi, a CSIR software engineer studied the FIA regulations – the governing body for world motorsport - which stipulates the rules for the four different classes of cars taking part.

“Cars must comply not only with the FIA regulations, but must also be roadworthy as the race takes place on public roads,” he explained.

He added that there are two main criteria – the physical and mechanical aspects, and the electrical system. The latter includes producing a battery electromotive force certificate and ensuring that the car’s electrical systems are safe not only for the driver, but also for other road users and spectators.

Commenting on other safety considerations, Motloutsi said, “Batteries must be properly located and not in close proximity to the driver while a safety cut-out switch must be provided to render the car safe in the event of an accident. From a physical and mechanical perspective, cars must be inherently stable, be able to perform manoeuvres in line with their size and speed capability, not cause a hazard to other road users and provide protection for the driver.”

A full-scale braking test was also conducted to ensure that cars stop properly. Any aspects of the car that do not meet the regulations had to be corrected by the teams prior to race day.

Competing against teams from the Netherlands, Turkey and Cyprus are local teams from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, North-West University, Tshwane University of Technology, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Cape Town. This year, the challenge will also include participation from Maragon Private School.

Sasol became involved with its first solar challenge in 2012. “As a business, we believe that it is vitally important to be part of an event which promotes research into the development of innovative technology,” said Richard Hughes, Sasol Group Sponsorship Manager.

“Of equal or greater importance is that the event presents an ideal platform for the promotion of STEM subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics among young learners and future leaders,” he continued.

It is this motivation that aligns with Sasol’s ongoing initiatives and long-term goal to encourage the youth to embrace technical subjects. By using the event to spark the interest of young people and particularly learners in these key educational subjects, the company believes it will help address the critical technical skills shortage at grassroots level.

“Many tertiary institutions are including the construction of solar-powered cars in their curriculum for degree courses. This is because the benefits to students who build these cars push the knowledge envelope,” explained Hughes.

“Students are exposed to the whole gambit of organisation that goes on behind the scenes of the race – from planning, budgeting, logistics, materials procurement, construction techniques, harnessing appropriate technologies or developing new ones and ensuring that all these elements come together to provide a winning combination,” he concluded.

Learners, students and the general public are invited to follow the journey, support the teams, meet the drivers and witness solar-vehicle technology and innovation in motion.

The first such opportunity is at the start of the race tomorrow morning at 07:00 at the CSIR in Pretoria.