KU Leuven team in South Africa for ‘world's most extreme race’ for solar cars
The Innoptus Solar Team, the team of KU Leuven engineering students who compete in solar car races, has arrived in South Africa to take part in the Sasol Solar Challenge. The race is considered the most extreme in the world for solar cars.
The students will drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town in eight days, covering more than 4,000km. Because of that distance, combined with the heat, large differences in altitude and rough roads in busy cities, the race is seen as the most extreme of its kind.
This year’s event will take place from 13 to 20 September. The race is organised every two years: in 2022, the Belgians came second, behind the team from Delft in the Netherlands.
The KU Leuven students are taking part in the competition with the 10th Belgian solar car, the Infinite. With that car, the previous group of students of the solar team became world champions in Australia.
Since that victory, the car has been further adapted and improved. The engine and battery cooling system has been optimised, to reduce energy consumption, and the aerodynamic performance has been improved using vortex generators. These create small vortices behind the car's number plate, reducing drag.
The solar car was sent to South Africa at the end of July. Last week, the team followed. In the coming weeks, the car will undergo extensive testing, final small details will be improved and the route will be explored.
#FlandersNewsService | The KU Leuven team during the presentation of their new solar car in Antwerp, July 2023 © BELGA PHOTO INE GILLIS
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