The Brunel Solar Team of Delft University has claimed the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, reaching Adelaide first after a 3,000-kilometre journey across Australia from Darwin.

The team made up of 18 students secured its eighth victory in the event and its car ran on Bridgestone solar car tyres with Enliten technology, including belt reinforcement made with circular Twaron Next supplied by Teijin Aramid.

The team’s Nuna 13 vehicle weighs just 160 kilograms and runs on a custom-designed, iron-free in-wheel motor that achieves 98% operational efficiency. Its asymmetric catamaran shape, developed through six months of aerodynamic modelling, was validated through full-scale wind tunnel testing. The design features two vertical fins that help convert side winds into forward motion, improving both speed and stability.

Teijin Aramid supported the team with high-performance materials tailored to the application and its Twaron aramid was also used in the vehicle’s protective driver shield.

“Our role is to provide materials that enable ideas to come to life, even in demanding conditions,” said Hendrik de Zeeuw, chief commercial officer at Teijin Aramid. “This challenge shows what can happen when we back the next generation of engineers with sustainable, high-performance solutions.”

“This result highlights the strength of Dutch engineering and the role of advanced materials in enabling next-generation mobility,” added Hans-Peter van Velthoven, of the Brunel Solar Team.

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