Dutch Nuon Team takes Solar Challenge for third time

As expected, the Dutch Nuon Solar Team has smashed its own world record for driving a solar car from Darwin to Adelaide in this year’s Panasonic World Solar Challenge. Nuon’s car, Nuna 3, reached the finish line at Angle Vale, north of Adelaide after a 3021 kilometre journey with a winning time of 29 hours 11 minutes and an average speed of 102.75 km/h. This stripped almost two hours from its previous 2003 world mark of 30 hours 54 minutes and broke the 100 km/h average speed barrier for the first time. It is the third consecutive time the Dutch team from the University of Delft has been first to Adelaide in world record time.

Australian car Aurora was second, beating its 2003 challenge time by four minutes, and finishing with an average speed of 92.03 km/h. The third-placed University of Michigan’s Momentum finished with an official time of 33 hours 18 minutes (90.03 km/h) with Japan’s Sky Ace Tiga close behind at 33 hours 45 minutes (88.84 km/h). Formosun from Taiwan University finished fifth with 36 hrs 01min (83.2 km/h).

In 2007 the World Solar Challenge will celebrate 20 years since the very first event was staged in 1987.