Credit: Tembela Bohle from Pexels
A team of Belgian students and engineers won a solar-powered car race in South Africa on Friday, widely considered the toughest to test the technology.
More than a dozen teams took part in the eight-day race spanning thousands of miles, with varying weather conditions and extreme altitudes adding to the complexity for designers.
“Innoptus claimed victory after breaking its own record not once, but twice during the competition,” Sasol Solar Challenge organisers said in a statement.
The race, held every two years since its inauguration in 2008, began on September 13 in Secunda, in the northeast of the country, with 14 teams competing until the finish in Cape Town.
“It’s a melting pot… It’s the most extreme solar challenge in the world,” race director Rob Walker told AFP at the finish line.
The Innoptus car had a flat surface adorned with photovoltaic panels and a white exterior, with a narrow driver’s seat bearing the license plate “SUN 08”.
“If we want to create a renewable future, we still have a lot of work to do, but we believe in ourselves and it is possible,” said Arne Besteijns, PR Manager at Innoptus Solar.
The other teams came from South Africa, Qatar, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and Germany.
They were greeted with confetti thrown by hundreds of cheering fans at the finish line.
Ebenhezer Tswana, a driver for one of the two South African teams, said many people did not believe their car would make it.
“I’m very happy because in fact, we drove this car to the end,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
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