| In September 2014 a Wits team participated in the biennial Sasol Solar Challenge. This is an eight-day, 4000km race from Pretoria to Cape Town between solar-powered cars. Alumnus and Visiting Lecturer in the School of Mechanical, Industrial & Aeronautical Engineering, Kamil Midor and his team of undergraduate engineers built and raced the Wits Solar Car 2.0. Watch a video of the team’s preparation and read their reflections on the 2014 race. Engineering a Car of the Future in 2016 For the 2016 Solar Challenge the Wits team plans to race a new solar car, as well as a technology class vehicle. The new solar car will be a much improved version of 2014 car. It will be lighter, more streamlined and incorporate improved in-house electronic control and driver feedback systems. The new technology class car will be a practical city commuter. It will have two seats and weigh less than 350 kg. The team intends to brand this new technology class car as the most fuel efficient vehicle on South African roads. This status will be achieved by building a hybrid car composed of a solar, electric and a small internal combustion (IC) engine. The vehicle will be equipped with three square meters of photo voltaic cells. If parked in the sun, the car will collect enough energy to drive a distance of 30km to 40km, keep up with urban traffic, but not release any greenhouse gasses. The car will be able to drive as a plug-in electric car, or by recharging the batteries using the on-board engine. For long distance travel the car’s small IC engine will be able to power the car at highway speeds. Initially the vehicle will be powered by an internal combustion engine donated by Honda. Time and funding permitting, the team envisages building their own engine, based on the Stirling cycle.
Alumni are invited to participate in preparing the two 2016 Wits Solar Car entries by joining the team, or through funding and sponsorship.
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