Tomorrow 13 September at 9 a.m., the Sasol - Solar Challenge, a competition between professional and amateur solar car teams from all over the world, will start from Secunda, a location in the North East of South Africa, in the province of Mpumalanga. The teams compete in developing, building and driving solar-powered cars, with the ultimate goal of travelling the greatest distance without using a single drop of fuel.
The South African race is known to be a difficult challenge, given the extreme weather conditions and the total elevation gain of almost 2,000 metres, testing the often experimental solar car technology. The race is an experimental test bed for lightweight, aerodynamic, efficient and safe cars, the technology of which is intended for various fields of industrial engineering.
Participating in Sasol 2024 is the Italian Onda Solare team, which has passed the static and dynamic testing and trials required for admission to the competition organised in South Africa every two years. The solar car prototype 'Emilia 5' brought by the Italian Team is the result of a collaboration between the University of Bologna's Alma Mater Studiorum and Most - National Centre for Sustainable Mobility. Having passed the so-called 'entrance examinations' on 9 and 10 September, the Emilia 5 is ready to go to the starting line tomorrow morning. It is expected to arrive in Cape Town after eight days.
The route is approximately 2500 km, divided into eight daily stages of 300 km, with optional loops to collect additional mileage. The 13 teams in the race will cover a good portion of South African territory, including along the borders of Botswana and Namibia, and also a section through the majestic Kalahari Desert.
During the week, the Onda Solare team received a visit from the Italian Ambassador Alberto Vecchi, who together with the scientific attaché, Professor Luca Tiano, was welcomed by Professor Giangiacomo Minak - head of the GreenWave Most project. Driver Morena Falcone accompanied the Ambassador and Tiano on a test drive at the Red Star Raceway in Delmas, east of Johannesburg, which hosted the vehicle testing event in recent days.
The GreenWave Most project is funded by the European Union, as part of the National Resilience and Resistance Plan (NRPR). Most, in cooperation with 24 universities, the CNR and 24 large companies, deals with air mobility, sustainable road vehicles, waterborne transport, rail transport, light vehicles and active mobility, aiming at environmentally friendly solutions for the mobility of the future.
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