This was the second consecutive victory for the Tokai University team, following their previous victory in 2008. The race event lasted for eleven days from September 22 to October 2 in the Republic of South Africa, with official support of Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.
The Tokai Challenger solar car is equipped with Sharp compound solar cells developed for outer space applications. The cells have a cell conversion efficiency of 30 percent, with an output of 1.8kW.
The Tokai University team started the race from Pretoria, the capital city of the Republic of South Africa, passing through Cape Town and Durban before returning to Pretoria. They covered 4,061.8 kilometers at an average speed of 90.1 kilometers per hour. The Tokai Challenger crossed the finish line in the first place at 12:00 PM on October 2 (local time).
The Tokai University team and solar car equipped with Sharps compound solar cells has won two consecutive victories in the solar car race, following a victory in the Global Green Challenge, the worlds largest solar car race, held in Australia in October 2009.
The high performance and the potential of Sharps solar cell were proven by the amazing drive of the Tokai University team, including Kenjiro Shinozuka, Japans leading rally driver.
