Before the actual race, in fact before the actual solar car was built I was asked to present at the 2019 SolidWorks launch for the MeCAD Designing the Future Event. The idea was to present the TUT solar car Sunchaser 3. This event happened only two weeks after the 2018 Sasol Solar Challenge, so everything was fresh in our minds and was a great way to unpack and summarise the race.
During my talk I spoke about how when I was a teenager I thought my first car would not be a combustion engine car. But now I hoped that by the time I retire I’d be in a self driving electric car. This seems to be getting closer to reality. In many ways the idea of designing the future made me think about the presentation by Jörn Bühring. In many ways you need to conceptualise multiple futures and then choose the one you want to head to and work at making that a reality. My involvement in the solar car project began as a coffee table debate and has now turned into a passion for a alternative energy future. The future I am hoping to be part of designing is one where we have exciting but clean transportation, even if right now we are still just dipping our toes in the water.
