03.25.21
The Vattenfall Solar Team started the production of its newest solar car Nuna11.
The 11th solar car made in Delft is more efficient, faster and safer than its predecessors, and will have several new features that surely will make the difference in solar racing, according to AOC, who provides hands-on support during vehicle manufacturing and supplies Beyone Styrene-free resins for making the structure and shell of the car.
With Nuna11, the team would have taken part in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, the World Championship in solar racing that is held bi-annually.
The team already won this 3000-kilometer race seven times, but the upcoming race was canceled due to COVID-19.
Nuna11 will be built according to the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge regulations, as per the original plan, similar to the other solar cars it will potentially race against in 2021 or 2022.
The Nuna11 is quite different from the NunaX that was racing in the 2019 edition of the Australian race.
As a result of the compulsory change of solar cell type from Gallium to Silicon, the surface of the solar panel has nearly doubled (now 4 m2 versus 2.6 m2 before), AOC said.
This change was made, as the race organizers intended to promote the more widely available and affordable Silicon cells, according to AOC.
To increase driver safety, the size of the cockpit has increased leaving more room for the driver.
Furthermore, a license plate has to be mounted on the back of the car.
This latter change is the most challenging one for the aerodynamics team since Nuna's trailing edge has always been infinitely smooth and aerodynamic, according to AOC.
"We like to be challenged as this forces us to be very inventive," said Christiaan Wiers, team captain of the Vattenfall Solar Team. “These new requirements promote innovation in design, electrical and drive systems, which surely is helping us to push the limits of solar technology. Later this year, we will be showing several new car features that help to increase car performance.”
The construction of the Nuna11 vehicle will be done by the team at the Polymer Science Park in Zwolle (Netherlands), next to the AOC R&D Center.
“AOC is supporting the Vattenfall Solar Team with innovative composites application technology, and provides hands-on support in manufacturing," said Paul Vercoulen, chief technology officer of AOC EMEA. “The construction is made as lightweight as possible. Also, it's stiffer, stronger and more fire-resistant compared to previous Nuna versions, which makes it the fastest, safest, and most energy-efficient car.”
The Nuna11 has been made with AOC’s Beyone styrene-free resin systems.
These sustainable resins feature close-to-zero smell and solvent emissions and are environmentally preferred alternatives to conventional styrene-based resin systems, AOC said.
The result is a superb Nuna11 vehicle that combines lightweight, great aerodynamics, and dimensional stability at elevated temperatures, according to AOC.
