College of Science, Engineering & Technology
Unisa's solar-powered car shines at the Bridgestone Ilanga Cup
The Bridgestone Ilanga Cup is Southern Africa’s first closed-track endurance circuit event focusing on driving the innovation of renewable energy. The event takes place annually and has been created for local solar car teams to put their solar vehicles to the test in a controlled environment, designed to measure the vehicles' performance, efficiency and durability.
Unisa’s award-winning UniSolar in motion
This year, the challenge took place at the Red Star Raceway in Delmas (Mpumalanga) on 4 October 2023, and took the form of a 12-hour endurance test. Competitive solar car teams included both new and experienced teams. The Unisa team, referred to as "Uni-champs" in competition and comprising engineering students from the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), took part in this year’s Ilanga Cup with their solar powered car affectionally known as UniSolar.
The car, designed at the Unisa Science Campus engineering laboratories, managed to complete 32 laps of around four kilometres each. At the awards ceremony, the Unisa entry was awarded the Solar Car Rookie Award, as well as second place in the cruiser category.
Unisa's "Uni-champs" at the awards ceremony
Commenting on this year’s Unisa entry and its improvement on the university’s 2022 design, Prof Pita Mothibeli, team leader of CSET’s solar car project, had this to say: "This time around, we reduced the frame weight, increased the engine capacity from 5 kilowatts to 2 x 8 kilowatts, and increased the engine’s charging capacity."
The student drivers who steered Unisa to victory
The competition brought together local solar car teams to showcase their cutting-edge designs and engineering solutions. The competition also served as a platform to inspire future engineers, and to promote sustainability and environmental awareness.
The young Unisa team’s outstanding achievement is the latest highlight in the institution’s 2023 celebration of 150 years of excellence, themed, appropriately, Reclaiming Africa’s Intellectual Futures.
#Unisa150
* By Dr Nozipho N Gumbi, Communication and Marketing Specialist (acting), Unisa College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Publish date: 2023/10/13
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