The 2011 Nuon Solar Team today unveiled the Nuna6 at the Amsterdam Westergas factory. This brand new solar vehicle will be used by the team to compete against 30 teams from across the globe at the World Solar Challenge in Australia.
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Nuna6 is the lightest car ever driven by the team, weighing in at approximately 145 kilos – about half the weight of the original Nuna that competed in 2001. At exactly 444 centimetres long, the car is also the smallest of the Nuna fleet. All the key elements of the previous models have been enhanced to produce the Nuna6. The car’s electric motor performs with an efficiency of 98% and air resistance has been reduced by almost 10% compared with the Nuna5. The next few months will be spent making the Nuna6 race-ready and equipping it with the very latest technology.
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Five-time champions?
Since 2010, 13 talented students from the Delft University of Technology have been carrying out top-secret work on their latest solar vehicle. Only cars that are 100% solar powered are allowed to compete in the World Solar Challenge. The 2011 competition is set to take place between 16 and 23 October and, just like in previous years, teams will drive a distance of 3,000 kilometres, from Darwin to Adelaide.
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The team is heading to Australia with the aim of bringing the solar racing world cup home to Delft once more. After four consecutive victories in previous years, the 2009 team finished in second place following what was a highly competitive race. A win this year will mean a fifth victory for the Delft students.
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Team leader Pier van Zonneveld: ‘All the solar vehicles at the World Solar Challenge look more and more like the early Nunas that won races for the Nuon Solar Team. This trend is irrefutable proof of our success. Our team just needs to stay one step ahead of our competitors. With Nuna6 we intend to bring the solar racing world cup home to Delft again. We are really proud and delighted to finally show the car after all the intensive work of the past months. We’ll be ready for whatever the competition throws at us at the world cup solar racing’.
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New rules
At this year’s World Solar Challenge, strict requirements have been set concerning solar panels. The Nuna 6 uses 6 m2 silicon cells. Teams can choose between 6 m2 ‘terrestrial’ silicon solar cells or 3 m2 ‘space’ cells, said to be more efficient. For the first time, the Nuon Solar Team has opted for silicon cells.
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Survival
As the solar vehicles race on public roads alongside normal traffic, they must adhere to the speed restrictions and traffic regulations in force in Australia. The team will race from 8am until 5pm every day, spending the night at the side of the road in the exact spot from which the Nuna6 will then set off the following day. In this sense, the World Solar Challenge is not simply a race – it is also a test of survival.
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Nuon Solar Team
Every two years, students from the Delft University of Technology form the Nuon Solar Team, put their studies on hold for eighteen months to design and build a new solar vehicle. The team members come from various study backgrounds (Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics). Since 2001, the main sponsor of the Nuon Solar Team is energy company Nuon. Through its participation in the World Solar Challenge, Nuon is encouraging young talent and promoting sustainability.
