Partner Nuon Solar Team

DSM is the innovation partner of the Nuon Solar team, a group of 13 enthusiastic students from the Delft University of Technology who took have taken 18 months off from their studies to work on the design and construction of a solar car which competed will compete in the World Solar Challenge 2011. In the 2011 edition of the race, the team will have to travel over 3,000 KM across the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.

The team used will be using Nuna6, the latest version of the Nuna solar car which hasd an exceptional pedigree in the World Solar Challenge (4 x winner, 1 x runner-up prior to the 2011 race). DSM has provided the team with innovative materials and technical expertise during the design and constriuction of the Nuna6, and focused its attention on 3 key areas:

1. Rigidity: the use of DSM’s Turane resins in combination with TeXtreme carbon fibers has resulted in a 25% increase in rigidity of the car. The increased rigidity alloweds for a more aerodynamic design, with 10% less drag compared to Nuna5.
2. Strength: another benefit of the increased rigidity wasis that the body of the Nuna6 is strongerwas stronger compared to earlier versions, an important aspect in areas such as driver safety and reliability.
3. Weight: the rigidity of the innovative materials from DSM allowed the Nuna6 to be designed using 25% less material compared to earlier versions.

Nuna6 enjoyed a good start to the race, finishing 2nd in qualifying on the Hidden Valley race track in Darwin. Once all the teams had left Darwin city limits and set course for Adelaide, it quickly became clear that the three pre-race favorites would compete for the title. With the rest of the contestants many kilometers behind them, Tokai Challenger 2 and the Nuna6 were able to build up a small lead ahead of the team from Michigan. Once the Americans dropped back because of mechanical troubles, it became a two horse race between Tokai and Nuna6. After racing more than 3,000km, the Tokai Challenger 2 won the World Solar Challenge 2011, ahead of Nuna6. With two teams competing so fiercely until the end, the 2013 edition of the World Solar Challenge promises to be very exciting – pushing solar technology to new heights.

More information about DSM’s contribution to the Nuon Solar Team is available to download (PDF: 0.23 Mb). DSM’s Flickr account has various pictures of the Nuna6 and the team.

Also have a look at the team's website for background information, pictures, videos and more.