Sunny South Africa was no match for the high speed Tokai Challenger, Japan’s entrant in this year’s South African Solar Challenge.

The sleek solar powered Tokai Challenger completed a total of 4 061 km through South Africa to cross the finish line in first place.

 

The race started on Thursday 23 September and ended on Saturday 2 October, with the Innovation HUB in Pretoria as the start and finish line.

 

The Tokai Challenger is a project of the Tokai University in Japan. Its victory in what is billed the most gruelling solar race on the international calendar follows a similar victory at the recent Australian Global Green Challenge.

 

“With a race distance of over 4 000 km and elevation differences of 1 700 m, the South African Solar Challenge can easily be described as the toughest solar race in the world,” says Professor Hideki Kimura, project leader and member of Tokai University’s School of Engineering.

 

The race was organised to emphasise the benefits of environmentally friendly technologies and to give students in a wide range of disciplines the opportunity to gain valuable experience.

 

“As this race was such a gruelling event, I believe it was the best possible opportunity for the students to learn about technology, engineering and the environment. I am sure that these students will introduce major new environmentally friendly technological innovations to the automotive industry in the near future,” says Kimura-san.

 

Supporting the driver and crew of the Tokai Challenger was Toyota Prius vehicles supplied by Toyota South Africa.

 

“It was a great honour to be part of a project such as this,” says Dr. Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota South Africa. “The project not only highlighted the importance of environmentally friendly technology, but it also allowed us to showcase the Prius, which is one of the boldest steps yet towards mass produced hybrid and other clean energy vehicles.”

 

The Tokai Challenger’s main driver was Kenjiro Shinozuka, the first Japanese racing driver to win a World Rally Championship event and a Dakar desert race.