Over a dozen teams competed in the eight-day race spanning thousands of kilometers, with varying weather and altitude extremes adding to the complexities for designers.
“Innoptus claimed victory after breaking their own record not once, but twice during the competition,” the organizers of the Sasol Solar Challenge said in a statement.
The race, held every two years since its inauguration in 2008, kicked off on September 13 in Secunda in the country’s northeast with 14 teams competing to the finish in Cape Town.
“This is a crucible… It is the most extreme solar challenge in the world,” race director Rob Walker told AFP at the finish line.
“This is a test of endurance… It’s the world’s most intense solar obstacle,” race director Rob Walker remarked to AFP upon reaching the finish. The Innoptus automobile was white in colour, with a small driver’s seat bearing the license plate “SUN 08” on a flat surface covered in photovoltaic panels.
“We still have a lot of work to do if you want to create a renewable future, but we believe in ourselves and it’s possible to do it,” Innoptus Solar’s public relations officer Arne Besteijns said.
The other teams were from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Qatar. At the final line, hundreds of supporters showered them with a stream of confetti. 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 actually, this car we actually drove all the way,” he said.
