Brunel Solar Team
How it all started...
About
After watching the movie ‘Race the sun’, where a handful of high school kids built a car on solar power, a dream was planted in the heads of a group of TU Delft students. They decided to build a solar car and participate in the World Solar Challenge of 2001. They could not do this alone and asked Wubbo Ockels, first Dutch astronaut and professor at the TU Delft, to be their team coach. He agreed but under one condition, that they would win the race. So, they started building, racing and as promised to Wubbo, became the winner of the 2001 race. This win was new for the competition, a newcomer had never won the race before.
Ever since the first team won their debut at the World Solar Challenge in 2001, the goal has been clear: to promote the awareness of the power of sustainable energy trough innovation. By participating in solar races all over the world, the team wants to show the world the possibilities of solar power and push the limits of technology.
Achievements
1st
3rd
900 km
DNF
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
1st
1st
1st
1st
Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
This biennial challenge gives teams the opportunity to build a solar car to race through the 3000 km outback route of Australia. The race starts in Darwin in the North of Australia, and ends in the Southern located Adelaide. The challenge features three classes that represent the diversity of solar vehicles. The Brunel Solar Team has so far always participated in the challenger class. In this class, the vehicles are designed to most efficiently complete the 3000 km route. The team participated ten times and holds a record of the most wins in the history of the challenge. After four years, Nuna 12 is going to compete in this challenge and will do everything to take the world cup home to Delft!
Sasol Solar Challenge
Since 2014 the team also participated in the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa. Because the World Solar Challenge is once every two years, the team saw the opportunity to expand their knowledge and participate in an extra challenge. The goal of this race is to drive the most kilometres in eight days. This is done by driving loops to gain extra kilometres.
Moroccan Solar Challenge
During the Covid pandemic, the team was working very hard on their new car for the World Solar Challenge in Australia. But because of the virus and lockdowns, the race could not continue. The team was devastated but did not want to throw away all the work they did already. The teams from the Netherlands and Belgium came together to find a way to see which team made the best car. They found Classic Events that could organise a race like this. This became the five-stage challenge with 500 km per day that went through the Sahara and foot of the Atlas.
