Tokai University wins World Solar Challenge 2011

Tokai University wins World Solar Challenge 2011

The Japanese team from Tokai University won the eleventh edition of the World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia. In the race for solar powered cars the Japanese traveled over three thousand kilometers in a time of 32 hours and 45 minutes. The Nuon Solar Team of the Delft Technical University finished second in the race with its Nuna6 .

In an incredibly exciting race where the Dutch just came up short, it were the clouds that made ​​the difference. The Japanese team and the team from Delft shared the last checkpoint and were separated by just a few minutes. Due to the clouds Nuna6 could not catch enough sun and lost sight of the Japanese team. The Nuon Solar Team did finish in Adelaide, but with a time of 33.5 hours and an average speed of 88 kilometer per hour.

Technical University of Twente also participated in the WSC and finished fifth. They finished in Port Augusta, 340 kilometers north of Adelaide.

The WSC is the counterpart of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge. This solar boat race takes place next July in Friesland, The Netherlands.