Dutch Team Wins World Solar Challenge, Breaks 100 km/h Threshold

28 September 2005

Crossing the finish line

The Dutch Nuon Solar Team smashed its own world record for driving a solar car from Darwin to Adelaide in this year’s Panasonic World Solar Challenge.

Nuon’s latest car, Nuna 3, turned in a 29-hour and 11-minute time on the 3,021 kilometer (1.878 miles) race, with an average speed of 102.75 km/h (64 mph).

This stripped almost two hours from its previous 2003 world mark of 30 hours 54 minutes and broke the 100 kph average speed barrier for the first time.

This is the third consecutive win for the team from the University of Delft. For the Nuna 3, the team used more efficient photovoltaic cells, a new more aerodynamic design, and lighter weight materials.

The Australian, American and Japanese teams are vying for second place this afternoon, with the Victorian team Aurora and the University of Michigan’s Momentum bumper-to-bumper 180 kilometers north of Adelaide. Japan’s Sky Ace Tiga was a further 10 minutes behind in fourth place.