The Nuon Solar Team has won the World Solar Challenge 2013. The ‘world cup’ solar racing will be taken back to the Netherlands and to Delft University of Technology, where it belongs. The team had already won four times and with this fifth victory they are absolute record holder.
In a thrilling final lap, Tokai University from Japan, who won last time (in 2011) was defeated. Leslie Nooteboom who drove Nuna7 across the finish in Adelaide commented: “We started with a great advance this morning and the other teams did not seem to have enough energy. Since the sun did not shine today, they did not have any reserve.”
Secret weapon
Nuna7 is the first four-wheel solar race car of the team. It had to be designed from scratch. The secret weapon of Nuna7 were the ‘concentrators’: a device used to optimise (or concentrate) the efficiency of solar power. It meant that the car was fuelled with additional energy for those moments when the sun does not shine or shines less. Today it appeared that the strategy of the Nuon Solar Team has been very successful.
During the World Solar Challenge, 3,000 kilometres were covered across Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. A total of 38 teams fro across the world participated in three different categories. Het Nuon Solar Team of Delft University of Technology participated for the seventh time. This is the fifth time that the Nuon Solar Team is victorious.
