New rules announced for 2026 Sasol Solar Challenge

Organisers of the biennial South African Sasol Solar Challenge have announced new regulations for the 2026 edition and entrants will compete in three categories.

Registration for the event, which takes place from September 10 to 17 2026, opens in March.

These array sizes will now be allowed: 

• Challenger class: Teams will be able to compete with two array sizes: 4m² and 6m². Both sizes will be governed by their corresponding battery and technical regulations. 
• Cruiser class: Non-major updates and changes in charging requirements, duration and infrastructure, passenger requirements and scoring.
• Innovation class: The class remains unchanged.

The competition for solar-powered vehicles was established in 2008 and entails local and international competitors driving from Johannesburg to Cape Town via Jeffreys Bay. The winners are the team that has driven the most kilometres against the clock. 

Much like pro-racing teams, the solar car teams raise money to compete and do their own marketing and logistics. Racing takes place across six provinces, with the minimum distance to complete the race about 2,500km.

Belgium’s Innoptus team comprising a crew of engineering students from KU Leuven, that country’s oldest university, won the 2024 Sasol Solar Challenge. 

A South African team hasn’t triumphed at the competition since its inception in 2008.

Challenger class

Vehicles entered in this category are built for optimal efficiency and endurance. Limitations include a maximum 5m in length and 2.2m width. They can have three or more wheels, must be charged by solar energy with one driver allowed.

Cruiser class

The Cruiser class is for vehicles with daily functionality built-in, and not exceeding the 5m length and 2.2m width requirements. They should have four wheels and at least one passenger. Charging requirements are solar but electric vehicle supply equipment can be used in exchange for a reduction in scores equivalent to the duration spent charging via the external power sources.

Innovation class

Vehicles entered in this category need not conform to either the Challenger or Cruiser classes. It’s a noncompetitive niche created to showcase new and wonderful ways of propulsion to benefit the future of mobility, allowing entry for new energy vehicles, including hydrogen fuel cell and other renewable mobility prototype vehicles.

Other Solar Challenges

The Ilanga Cup is a local race held as a closed track endurance test at the Red Star raceway outside Emalahleni. The inaugural eight-hour competition in 2022 was won by Tshwane University of Technology solar team with its Sunchaser 4 solar car completing a distance of 390km on solar energy.

The World Solar Challenge is another biennial competition that encourages teams to design, build and compete for engineering honours.  It’s sponsored by Michelin and was last held in Australia between Darwin and Adelaide, a distance of about 3,000km.