Every two years the World Solar Challenge is held in Australia. This is a 3000 km long race through the Australian desert with cars that only use the power of the sun to generate energy for propulsion.
Since 2001 a team from the Delft University of Technology participates in the race. This page contains several short presentations (in Dutch) that treat some engineering aspects of the fifth racing car, the Nuna 5.
Aerodynamics
In the clip below prof. Bijl treats the aerodynamic design of the Nuna 5 and explains how the low drag of the car is achieved. She explains what factors influence the magnitude of the drag force and shows a short calculation to roughly determine the drag force of the Nuna 5.
Aerodynamics
Batteries
Prof. Mulder explains how the batteries, that store the solar energy, work. He treats what type of batteries are used, what chemical process takes place when the batteries are charged and what the advantages and disadvantages are of the used batteries
Batteries
Solar Cells
In this clip prof. Zeman explains the basic working principles of solar cells and describes why the Nuna racing team has chosen to use galium arsenide solar panels.