UKZN’s solar car shines

UKZN Solar Car, Hulamin, crossed the finish line at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia in 12th position among 42 world teams.

The exhausted yet ecstatic UKZN Solar Car team crossed the finish line at 12.05pm Adelaide time on Friday 23 October, after travelling 3022 kilometres from the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory to Adelaide in South Australia, completing the race in 47 hours, 53 minutes and 59 seconds of driving time, over five-and-a-half days. First place went to Nuon Solar Team and second place to Solar Team Twente, both from the Netherlands. Team Tokai Challenger from Japan came in third.

Patron of the UKZN Solar Car Project, cice-chancellor, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld was delighted when he heard the news: “My hearty congratulations to the whole team. We are all very proud of you for flying the UKZN flag high down under. Viva Hulamin Viva!” he said.

Co-team leader Dr Clinton Bemont, said it was a tough race that required a lot of hard work. “We were on the go all the time and never had a chance to relax. Now I’m looking forward to a good shower, time to relax and a beer!”

Academic leader for Mechanical Engineering, Prof Glen Bright, who travelled from South Africa to meet the UKZN team at the finish line, said: “The team is exhausted but happy to have finished two days before the cut off. I am very proud of their achievements. While they had to deal with resource constraints, they still overcame many challenges along the route, to emerge as worthy UKZN and South African contestants.”

“We could not have done this without the help we got from all our supporters, thank you,” said Ms Kirsty Veale, the team’s other leader.

The Solar Car is a UKZN initiative, previously known as Hulamin – iKlwa and now rebranded Hulamin. The team named the car Hulamin in gratitude to the aluminium manufacturing company, Hulamin, which funded and supported the project with the intention to see it entered into the World Solar Challenge.

Hulamin was developed by a group of engineering students and lecturers from UKZN in Durban. The car was built to participate in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. This year, the event saw its first ever entrants from the African continent.