Belgian Solar Team drops to third place due to technical problem
Saturday, 14 September 2024 - The Innoptus Solar Team started this morning in the lead of the Sasol Solar Challenge. The students from KU Leuven encountered some technical problems that forced them to deviate from their predetermined strategy. The Belgians had to leave their biggest competitors, the team from Delft and the team from Twente, ahead of them and ended the day in third position. The competition will continue for six more days and the engineering students will do everything they can to regain the leading position.
Leader of the ranking
The Belgians were able to cover the most kilometres during yesterday's stage and were allowed to start first this morning. Because they arrived late yesterday, they had to stop for 36 minutes throughout the day. The Sasol Solar Challenge is a hugely challenging competition strategically. Each team follows its own strategy, the coming days will show which team made the winning choice.
Technical issues
The team experienced some technical problems today on their solar car, the Infinite. There were some problems with the solar panel electronics and the motor control system. While fixing these technical faults, the solar car stood still for half an hour. As a result, the Belgians were able to cover less distance than hoped for today, finishing third in the provisional standings.
Tonight is the ‘marathon stage’. This means that only 3 team members are allowed to work on the solar car for a limited time. The engineering students will use this time to ensure that the problems that occurred today do not recur.
Looking ahead
The challenge continues for six more days. The difference between the top three teams is only 9 km. The students hope to cover more than 4,000 km during the eight-day competition. A difference of just 9 km is minuscule. The Belgians are catching up and will do everything they can over the next six days to regain the lead.
Sasol Solar Challenge
The Sasol Solar Challenge takes place from 13 to 20 September in South Africa and is considered the most extreme solar car race. It is the second time for the Belgian Solar Team to participate in this unique challenge. Student teams from all over the world will be challenged here to cover as much distance as possible on solar energy in eight days. The students hope to cover more than 4,000 km during the eight-day competition. The challenging course across South Africa provides team members with a strategic challenge.
