Australia: here they come!
Jun 25, 2009 | Amsterdam Racing on the power of the sun
Nuna5 was unveiled today by the new 14-strong Nuon Solar Team. The team members, all students at Delft University of Technology, have worked on the construction of their solar car for almost a year. During this period they have set everything else aside to ensure that Nuna5 is even faster and more beautiful, aerodynamic and economical than ever.
The Nuon Solar Team are looking forward to the moment when the World Solar Challenge starts in Australia. The team has just one wish: to win the race! Nuna5 has 6 m2 of solar cells and weighs 160 kilos, 30 kilos less than Nuna4.
"Nuna5 has really become our baby," says Rein van den Eijnde, the team leader. "After all the work we have put in, we are now very happy and proud to be able to present it to the outside world. We really can’t wait to start driving Nuna. After all, the car may look great, but what it’s all about is racing and winning. We feel like a real Formula 1 team and just the thought of the start sets the pulse racing. The engine may be silent, but you could almost swear you can hear it throbbing on the starting grid!"
Five times in a row
The World Solar Challenge is a biennial race for solar-powered cars. Teams from some thirty countries take part. The race crosses right across Australia from north to south over a distance of more than 3,000 kilometres. It starts in Darwin on 25 October 2009 and ends in Adelaide on 31 October. If the Nuon Solar Team wins this year, it will be the fifth time in succession that students from Delft have taken the title for the fastest purely solar-powered car.
Good road holding
Nuna5 is fitted with the latest technology and all aspects of the car have been improved in comparison with its predecessors. This year the competition rules have been changed. Slicks are no longer permitted. The tyres must now have a proper tread like those of normal cars. This represents an extra challenge for the team because treaded tyres create extra rolling friction and thus tend to slow the car.
The top of the car is covered with 6 m2 of special solar cells. If the solar panel generates more energy than is needed at a given moment, the extra energy is stored in the battery. This is then available for use when overtaking or in cloudy weather.
30 kilos lighter
The car weighs some 160 kilos, which is over 30 kilos lighter than Nuna4. As one of the drivers observed, "It’s strange to think I'll be driving a car that is only about twice my own weight. You hardly ever see such lightweight cars on the roads." But this will be the case in Australia, because Nuna will drive among all the others cars and trucks on the road.
Nuna5 will start each morning at 8 a.m., after the starting signal, and only stop again at 5 p.m. The team will then erect their tents at the side of the road. Precisely at the spot where Nuna stops. So it's not only a race, but also a kind of survival course. "We form a very strong team," says Rein enthusiastically. "We're open with one another and work together very well. So with the qualities of the car and a clever strategy we look forward to the race with every confidence. Our team is just raring to go and invites everyone to follow the progress of Nuna5 (with start number 3) in October."
Nuon Solar Team
The Nuon Solar Team for each race is composed of students at Delft University of Technology who interrupt their studies for a year to build the solar car. The team members come from various disciplines: electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, sustainable energy technology, architecture, industrial design and mechanical engineering.
About Nuon and the Nuon Solar Team
Nuon has been the principal sponsor of the Nuon Solar Team since 2001. By participating in the World Solar Challenge, Nuon aims to encourage interest in renewable energy and innovation. And to show how ambitious young people can make a substantial contribution to technological innovation and a sustainable future.
About Nuon
Nuon is an ambitious energy company, serving more than three million consumers and organisations with over 10,000 employees in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Nuon produces, transports and delivers electricity, gas, heating and cooling, and engages in energy trading in the major international markets. Nuon also supplies additional services and technological innovations to businesses and consumers. In doing so, Nuon aims to provide a reliable, sustainable and affordable energy supply.
With a turnover of EUR 6.1 billion in 2008, Nuon occupies a prominent position in the Dutch energy market. The shares are held by local and regional authorities.
Effective 1 July 2008, Nuon was split into a network company and a production and supply company. The two companies now operate independently under a financial holding company and a joint Board of Directors and Supervisory Board.