On Friday, the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, the KU Leuven University engineering student team, won the Sasol Solar Challenge. For several days in a row, the competition was neck and neck with the competing team from Twente.
The Belgians braved steep slopes and heavy traffic in their final sprint and crossed the finish line with a lead of about 80 kilometers. It is the first time that the students have won this competition.
Most extreme solar car competition
Two years ago, the team participated in the solar car competition in South Africa and finished second place. The eight-day Sasol Solar Challenge is considered the most extreme solar car competition due to the large height differences, hectic traffic, changing weather conditions, and the duration of the competition.
The first four days were an actual neck-and-neck race. The Leuven students encountered some technical problems, but the teams played leapfrog with each other. On day five, the Belgians rode 703 kilometers and set a daily record.
Never before in the competition’s history had a team managed to cover so many kilometers in one day. The students from KU Leuven took the leading position and held it until the finish in Cape Town.
It was an extremely exciting challenge. The top teams were very evenly matched. With this victory, the Belgians prove that they have the best solar car, the best strategy, and the best preparation.
Report of the competition
After some technical problems last Saturday, the Belgian team started in third place at the beginning of the Challenge, covering 672.9 kilometers. It was the first time in the competition’s history that a team had covered so many kilometers in one day.
On Sunday, the Belgians strategically rode 7.5 loops, surprising the classification leaders who only rode 7. This gave them a lead of up to 15 km. On Monday (16/9), the Belgians had started in first position after returning to the top of the rankings in the Sasol Solar Challenge and setting a daily record on Sunday.
Evenly matched
On Monday, however, the competing team from Twente opted for another strategy and covered more kilometers, pushing the Belgian team back to second place. The two teams were clearly evenly matched.
On Tuesday, the Belgians broke their own daily record by covering over 700 km—100 km more than their competitors—during a challenging desert leg of the South African Challenge.
Strong crosswinds
They crossed the Kalahari desert, where strong crosswinds often occur, and used the solar car’s extendable and rotating fin to take advantage of these winds. The fin allows the solar car to sail, and this way, it uses less energy.
Never before had a team covered so many kilometers in one day. So, the Belgians ended first in the ranking, with a lead of 84 kilometers over the team from Twente and 115 kilometers over the team from Delft.
Strategic choices
On Thursday, one day before the end of the Sasol Solar Challenge, the Belgians still had an impressive lead. The teams were challenged by the so-called ‘blind’ stage: the route was only announced the evening before, making estimating energy consumption in advance challenging. The Belgians, therefore, chose to drive slower and save energy for Friday’s tough final stage.
They started the day with a lead of 84 kilometers, which they had built up in the last few days by strategically choosing to cover 100 km more in one day than their rivals. In this way, they broke the competition’s daily record for the second time.
Three top teams
But on Thursday, the team from Twente opted for another strategy and was able to catch up 27 kilometers. So, the Leuven students were to start the last day of the competition with a lead of 57 kilometers. On the sixth day of the Challenge, a mountain stage was planned.
The engineering students climbed some steep slopes with their solar cars. The cars are designed to recover energy during descents by applying a ‘regenerative’ braking system. This means that the energy that would otherwise be lost is re-stored in the battery. The three top teams finally covered the same number of kilometers, but the Belgians retained the lead they had taken the day before.
Playing leapfrog
The two strongest teams—Leuven and Twente—have been playing leapfrog with each other. A the beginning of the Challenge, none of the teams could build a convincing lead, and the leadership position was passed several times.
There were exciting times on Thursday when the teams would be challenged by the so-called ‘blind’ stage, when the route was not announced until Wednesday evening. As a consequence, the teams would be unable to estimate their energy consumption in advance, making it extra difficult for strategic decisions.
Max kilometers in eight days
In October 2023, the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, the student team of KU Leuven University, became the world champion in Australia with the earlier version of their car. To face the increased challenge of the Sasol Solar Challenge, the Louvain-based students adjusted their vehicle. They focused on some significant innovations, like the cooling system and the airflow behind the back of the car.
The Sasol Solar Challenge is a solar car race in which student teams from all over the world drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town. The teams are challenged to cover as much distance as possible using solar energy in eight days. Driving loops during the race can increase the number of kilometers driven, and the goal is to cover as many kilometers on solar energy as possible.
During the eight-day challenge (from September 13th to 20th), they travel more than 4,000 km through busy cities, exceptional weather conditions, and extreme altitude differences. This challenge is, therefore, also seen as the most extreme in the world. The competition ends on Friday at 3 p.m.
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