Sasol Solar Challenge

The Sasol Solar Challenge takes place from September 13 to 20 in South Africa. It is the second time that we take part in this unique challenge. Student teams are challenged to cover as much distance as possible in 8 days on solar energy, which is the longest race we've participated in so far. This ensures both reliability and strategy will play a very important role.

Loops & driving the most kilometers

It is one of the most strategically challenging races in the solar car world, because of its unique concept: instead of driving a fixed distance as fast as possible, the goal is to drive the most kilometers in eight days.

Each race day is called a Stage. Teams have to start the race day in one city and end in another; along the route, the teams can choose to add extra kilometers by driving loops. There is one catch: the teams have to make it to the finish line of that day before 5 PM, otherwise they lose points.

Special stages

The Sasol Solar Challenge also has two special Stages: Blind Stages and Marathon Stages.

During the Blind Stage days, the teams don't know the route they'll be driving until a few hours before departure, forcing the teams to strategize on the go. As for the Marathon Stage, the cars will be tested for reliability as only a limited number of team members will be able to prepare the car for the day ahead in the evening.

With so many new challenges, this race puts a lot of pressure on our strategists' shoulders. We participated in the Sasol Solar Challenge for the very first time in September 2022 - and finished second. With the experience from 2022 we're now set on bringing home victory in 2024.