The Sasol Solar Challenge is a biennial competition (takes place every two years) that strives to be the ultimate test of technology and innovation. Local and international teams conceptualise, design and build solar-powered vehicles to drive across South Africa in the eight-day long event while competing against each other, demonstrating and showcasing their design, manufacturing, and strategy skills.The challenge runs on public roads, sharing space with trucks and regular traffic, and passes through multiple small towns.

9 September to 16 September 2022.

The Sasol Solar Challenge measures endurance and not speed, therefore the winning team is the one that managed to rack-up the most kilometres in the eight-days.

The Sasol Solar Challenge takes place on public roads with standard traffic. It is therefore essential that teams comply with the road rules and any conditions imposed by the local road traffic authorities. The route contains some steep mountain pass climbs and teams must plan strategies to conserve battery power.

The Sasol Solar Challenge has been running since 2008. 2022 marks the 14th year anniversary of the challenge and the 7th event roll-out.

2008 – Tokai University (Japan)

2010 – Tokai University (Japan)

2012 – Tokai University (Japan) and North West University (South Africa)

2014 – Delft University (Netherlands) 2016 – Delft University (Netherlands)

2018 – Delft University (Netherlands)

Sasol is the title sponsor of the Sasol Solar Challenge, which is supported by several other partners and sponsors in technology, transport, equipment and funding. Please see the Partners page for more information.

Anyone can volunteer their services at the Sasol Solar Challenge. Please see the Volunteer page for more information.

The Sasol Solar Challenge drives awareness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in young people and provide them with an opportunity to experience hands-on learning and witness real-life applications of STEM education from like-minded scholars from around the world. It also drives awareness of renewable and sustainable energy globally. Additionally, it contributes to industry research on solar technology, including the manufacturing of solar cells and electronics – battery systems that offer high-density energy and solar cells which are more efficient.

In addition to raising the profile of solar technology as a renewable resource and promoting the importance of STEM subjects in school, the Sasol Solar Challenge has also provided a platform for the Jumping Kids charity to promote the excellent work that it does in assisting young amputees. Jumping Kids engages with child amputees en-route and identifies suitable candidates for prosthesis fitment.

The Sasol Solar Challenge is open to school, university and private teams from South Africa and abroad. Entries for the 2020 event will open in early 2019

Entries for the 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge are currently closed. To enquire about entering future challenges, please contact Rycardo Simoes Alves at teamdesk@solarchallenge.org.za or on +27 72 777 5577.

• The Sasol Solar Challenge features three separate classes of competition.

• The Challenger Class is Solar vehicles that are designed for optimal efficiency and performance, they carry one driver only.

• The Adventure Class is non-competitive and allows cars built for previous editions of the event to run again, usually with new team members.

• The Cruiser Class is designed for practicality, and to provide a forum to further demonstrate advanced technologies in personal transport opportunities. 

Daily accommodation is available to all teams during the event, and will typically be camping space with facilities. Teams are responsible for their own breakfast and lunch arrangements, and lunch can be purchased at control stops. The organisers aim to supply dinner at all overnight stops. If no dinner arrangements are made, teams will be notified well in advance. Accommodation will be supplied from the first day until the last day of the event.

The Award Ceremony is free of charge for all team members. Additional arrangements will have to be made with the organizing team for sponsors and family members.

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly via photovoltaic (PV) cells, or indirectly via concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. The solar technology used in the Sasol Solar Challenge is PV.

In a PV cell, the sunlight puts electrons in movement to directly produce electricity. The main component of the PV cell is the semiconductor. The electrons in the semiconductor are charged by sunlight and move to their corresponding electrode – producing an electrical current. CSP systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam that heats up molten salt to create steam to drive a turbine that produces electrical power.

Solar power is clean and renewable, and rapid advances in technology are driving down costs too. 

The possibilities of solar power are endless, from powering small appliances, to feeding the national grid. This is how major cities are “Going Greene”

South Africa boasts an abundance of sunlight and open space, and is perfectly suited to embrace solar technology.

Participants in the Sasol Solar Challenge are encouraged to push the boundaries of research and innovation during the judging process. The result is ground-breaking new developments that represent the future pinnacle of electric vehicle and solar technology research and development, not only in South Africa, but globally.

9 September to 16 September 2022.