How do you engineer a vehicle to travel from Sasolburg to Cape Town powered by the sun?
On 10 September, a team of TUT student engineers will put that question to the test when their student-built SunChaser IV takes on the eight-day Sasol Solar Challenge.
The team has had to solve complex engineering challenges around energy efficiency, battery management, aerodynamics and vehicle systems, while preparing the prototype to perform on real South African roads.
Ford engineers from Silverton have also been working alongside the students, providing hands-on technical support and industry mentorship as they prepare for the Challenge.
The story offers an opportunity to look at the technology behind SunChaser IV, the engineering challenges involved in building a solar-powered vehicle, and what initiatives like this mean for developing the next generation of South African engineering talent.
We can facilitate access to the TUT student engineers and Ford technical experts involved in the project for interviews and commentary.
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Please see the press release below for more information:
Ford SA partners with TUT for Sasol Solar Challenge
- The team behind Ford’s globally awarded Silverton Manufacturing will provide technical support, industrial mentorship, and challenge resources
- The partnership with the TUT team is about supporting and providing young South Africans with access to and mentorship in giving young South Africans access and mentorship to the industrial economy
- The Sasol Solar Car Challenge was first run in 2008 and takes place every two years. Now in its ninth edition, it features teams from South Africa, Switzerland and India
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, 04 September 2026 – Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Manufacturing) (Pty) Limited will sponsor the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) SunChaser IV team in the 2026 Sasol Solar Challenge. The sponsorship forms part of its commitment to backing the next generation of South African engineers with more than just a badge on the car.
On 10 September, TUT’s student-built solar car will cross the start line in Sasolburg, beginning an eight-day public-road challenge to Cape Town, travelling through the Western Cape and along the West Coast.
Predominantly designed and built by TUT students, with input and support from university staff and industry experts, the solar car will have to prove itself beyond the workshop and on the open road.
Ford’s involvement goes beyond the sponsorship. Ford’s high-tech engineers will work directly with the TUT team as industrial mentors, sharing hands-on vehicle-building expertise that includes daily preparations, tooling and mechanical advice and mentorship in high-pressure, high-quality environments.
“It’s a direct investment in skills that matter not just for an event like the Sasol Solar Challenge, but for the future of the industry,” says Ford VP of Manufacturing Operations, Ockert Berry.
“As the automotive industry adapts to the growing need for more sustainable forms of mobility, and as we see an increasing shift to NEV technologies, these kinds of initiatives only become more and more important. That’s especially true for a country like South Africa, which needs future-ready engineering and technical skills if it’s to play an active role in the future of mobility and if we are to protect our future industrial capability by investing in the talent that will take charge after we are gone,” he said.
“Having worked on previous SunChaser models, I believe this group of students has produced something all South Africans can be proud of,” says Johannes de Vries, Solar Car Team Manager at Tshwane University of Technology. “Their determination and resourcefulness have been evident through every step of the journey, and it’s a reminder of what young talent can achieve when we invest in it.”
TUT’s SunChaser vehicles have a track record: previous models have picked up awards on the international stage. Designing and assembling the 2026 car has pushed the team to achieve similarly high standards. The build process also demands the same qualities Ford demands of its own engineers: technical skill, resourcefulness, and the ability to solve problems under pressure.
“Beyond those skills, South African grit and determination will be vital for getting this team over the line,” says Berry. “And this is why we are joining in, to play our part in bringing the industrial mentorship they need but also to use the power of the Blue Oval to get South Africans behind this team and to cheer them over the line, hopefully in first position.”
The tech is more relevant than it looks. Lightweight composite construction, advanced battery management, and solar auxiliary integration – all vital for cars like the SunChaser – are already showing up on production vehicles today.
“This is the talent that takes these early green shoots of innovation and scales them for the future of mobility,” Berry adds.
Now in its ninth edition since launching in 2008, the biennial Sasol Solar Challenge pits teams from South Africa, Switzerland and India against each other on a route from Sasolburg to Cape Town. The winner isn’t the fastest car; it’s the one that covers the most kilometres over eight days, testing design, manufacturing, and strategy in equal measure.
This is where Ford will support the team most, providing:
- Ford Ranger PHEVs as chase and support vehicles, travelling with the team throughout the challenge
- Ford’s ‘high-tech’ technical team travelling with the team to provide on-the-ground mentorship and skills transfer to students as they grapple with everyday realities of the challenge and the conditions they experience
- Logistics support and transport to enable mobility from end-to-end and its full support team.
“It is recognition that the advances made on solar cars today could translate into the vehicles of tomorrow,” says Berry. “In fact, some production vehicles feature auxiliary solar integration, ultra-efficient lightweight composite framing and advanced battery management systems — technologies that have often been tested and refined in solar racing cars like this one.”
“The SunChaser IV team have built the car and done the prep work. The same is true of their competitors. Now it’s for South Africa to get behind the young people driving its future,” Berry concludes.
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About Ford Motor Company
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