Submitted by techconcepts on Mon, 2021-07-12 08:19

When talking about the Sasol Solar Challenge or the SSC to someone for the first time, I am always asked the same question. What is the Sasol Solar Challenge?

This simple but extremely complex question is often followed by a long explanation as it is impossible, to sum up, the SSC in a short, simple statement. Therefore, as we prepare ourselves for the next edition in September 2022. It is fitting that this is the subject of our first blog for this season.

At its core, the SSC is a simple idea, build a vehicle powered by the sun and drive it across the South African countryside on public roads, in amongst traffic, and make it to the other side. Every person who makes it is a winner and thus the real competition is the road, the weather, and the difficulty of pushing the boundaries of what is possible. However, there must be more, so we add in the opportunity for teams to drive extra kilometres each day through loops, ultimately it is the team who has the most km’s driven by the sun’s energy who will arrive at the finish line in first place.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, the part that people see and as per an iceberg, there is so much more beneath the surface. The first observation is surely the easiest, through these projects the future of mobility is being discovered right in front of our eyes. The participants are building, breaking, and rebuilding the very essence of what we hold most dear, mobility. One day we will live in a world where our mobility, whatever form that may take, will be truly renewable and make no negative impact on the world around it. That day comes ever closed because of enthusiastic young minds who do not fear failure, who embrace change, and who build solar cars.

Some may say this is enough, why strive for more? However, it is the nature of South African’s to look beyond the hill and see what else can be achieved, after all, this is the birthplace of modern man! Through these mystical projects of future mobility, the SSC seeks to fulfill perhaps its most important mandate. To reach the hearts and minds of young South African’s wherever they may be. As we travel across some of the most rural locations in our country, we bring with us the promise of a better life. Our educational programmes seek to inspire, enthral, and captivate tomorrow’s minds. Showing them that an alternative path awaits them through the world of engineering, science, and education of a young mind from rural South Africa can reach for the stars. Who knows perhaps we have another Elon Musk out there…?

Somewhere between all of this and so much more is the Sasol Solar Challenge, if you asked me to sum it up in one statement it would be this. The Sasol Solar Challenge is an eclectic mix of competition, comradery, and a good dose of the best that humanity has to offer. It is an engineering marvel that comes together every 2 years to move the needle forward, not by a step or two but by leaps and bounds. It is something that transcends an event or a competition, it is a picture into a better tomorrow.

We, therefore, welcome all who wish to partake in this challenge, from here at home or from across the seas. Africa is challenging all those who wish to harness its internal energy to converge once again on the most ancient of playgrounds, to push the boundaries.