Sasol: Africa’s biggest solar challenge ready to take on five provinces across South Africa

The 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge is back on the South African roads again and will be travelling from Johannesburg down to the finish line in Cape Town from 9 to 16 September.

Communities along the 2022 route including science and technology enthusiasts and scholars, can look forward to this electrifying endurance challenge, which is bringing nine solar car teams from South Africa, Belgium and The Netherlands.

Strategy and adventure are the key themes for this year’s event as the teams will be challenging each other to rack-up the most kilometres travelling an estimated distance of 2, 500 km from the start-line in Carnival City Casino to the finish line at the V&A Waterfront.

“Its exciting to know that in just a few days we will be on the road again travelling with the most talented engineers from around the world who will be showcasing their engineering skills through the cutting-edge technologies that will be competing in the eight-day long challenge,” said Robert Walker, Owner and Director of the Sasol Solar Challenge. “This year’s event will feature the top teams of solar challenges in South Africa as well as global champions.. We look forward to this highly anticipated event.”

The 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge will incorporate special stages, which includes half and full blind stages, where information relating to the route will be withheld until the night before teams take on the road, forcing them to strategise last minute.

The 2022 route from Johannesburg to Cape Town will include five provinces and 18 towns. Communities in these provinces will be witnessing solar-powered cars moving through their streets on the eight-day long challenge for the first time in almost four years. The challenge has an almost brand-new route with new towns, roads and communities. This has been done to increase the impact which the event has on the communities which it passes through. New towns include Brakpan, Trompsburg, Willowmore, Kirkwood, Jeffreys Bay, Riversdale and Caledon.

“One of the key focuses of the Sasol Solar Challenge is to raise an awareness of renewable and sustainable energy and to attract many young people as possible into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. It is with these reasons that we expanded the reach of the event across South Africa, to impact as many communities as possible,” said Walker.

Nozipho Mbatha, Senior Manager: Group Brand and Sponsorships at Sasol echoed Walker and said: “The Sasol Solar Challenge provides communities with a hands-on learning experience of STEM education and offers them an opportunity to witness real-life applications of STEM, inspiring them to develop their own STEM solutions to address challenges faced by their communities.”

During each Sasol Solar Challenge there is a Schools Programme that runs alongside the event. The programme provides an opportunity to learners along the route to get involved in STEM. This year a project has been launched to encourage learners to develop a sustainable solution to address mobility challenges faced by their communities. These projects will be showcased during the event’s school activations along the route.