“Our students will take part in the Sasol Solar Challenge 2018 for the first time this year and our entry is called the CPUT Solar Flyer because the original design resembles a plane,” said spokesperson Lauren Kansley.

She said the challenge is held every second year and teams from around the world design and build solar-powered vehicles to drive across South Africa in the eight-day event.
CPUT is the only university in the Western Cape participating alongside teams from Turkey and Poland.
“This being the first time we entered, everything has been about building the solar car over the past three months. It has been a steep learning curve.
“This applies not only to the technicians in the AMTL (advanced manufacturing technology laboratory) workshop, who are teaching students about assembling the car, but also to our engineering lecturers who want to incorporate parts of the solar car building project into course work.”
Speaking to students at a team meeting, Professor Graeme Oliver said: “The competition is to encourage young people to take up engineering as a career. You know why you are doing this, but they don’t.”
CPUT said after the contest the car would be used to create awareness around studying engineering.

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