Johannesburg, South Africa – With an economic growth rate of 1.5% and a population of 54 million, South Africa is among the largest economic powers in Africa and is a driving force behind the African economy.* Panasonic relaunched Panasonic South Africa (Pty) Ltd. in April 2016, and Panasonic is working to contribute to the further development of better living in South Africa under the concept of “You Deserve Better.”
*Source: http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/s_africa/data.html
Outdoor and newspaper advertising, as well as radio commercials, were rolled out during the campaign period. In addition, events were held at shopping malls in four major cities in South Africa including Pretoria, the starting line of the race, and Cape Town, the finish line, showing the expanse of the campaign across South Africa.
As a result, the Tokai University Solar Car Team received many comments of support on social media during the campaign using the hashtag #MoreSunshine.
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Outdoor advertisements
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Shopping mall event
Hiroyuki Shibutani, Director of the Africa district, Panasonic, commented that: “I am proud that this campaign added to the excitement of the race itself and that many people were able to know about the Panasonic brand. I believe Panasonic will contribute to a better life for everyone through our products in South Africa.”
“Sasol Solar Challenge 2016” Race Results
The Tokai University Solar Car Team
The “Sasol Solar Challenge” solar car race was held in South Africa from September 24 to October 1, 2016. The Tokai University Solar Car Team won second place, covering 4,544.2km while using the Panasonic HIT(TM) solar module and high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.
Professor Hideki Kimura, the general manager of the Tokai University team, commented:
“This race was a competition of total distance travelled, not time, so the point was to calculate the optimal speed from the amount of power generated by the solar panels. The management of this race was quite difficult with factors that are not in any other race, such as traffic congestion due to road construction, bad road conditions, and a course filled with many uphill and downhill slopes similar to the Hakone Touge Pass in Japan. (Note: The Hakone Touge is a turnpike with many curves and slopes in a mountainous area of Japan, popular with car driving enthusiasts.)
However, Panasonic’s photovoltaic module performed to expectations even in that rough environment. The lithium-ion batteries discharged the stored energy while in the climbing lanes, and stored energy while using the regenerative brakes going downhill, so we had a stable run. As a result, we were able to put our heart and focus into running the race to the finish while maintaining power generation.”
*HIT is a registered trademark of the Panasonic Group.
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Tokai Challenger loaded with the Panasonic HIT(TM) solar module and high-capacity lithium-ion batteries
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Tokai Challenger running in the sunshine in South Africa
Tokai University Solar Car Team
Panasonic is supporting the Tokai University Challenge Center, Light Power Project’s Solar Car Team, one of the solar car teams performing at the world level.
Since 2011, Panasonic has been supporting the Tokai University Solar Car Team with the top class power output solar cell module HIT(TM) and high capacity lithium-ion batteries.
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