Two Men And A Truck makes a move on solar power at World Solar Challenge

Two Men And A Truck has successfully completed the world’s first ever solar-powered removal, in the winning solar car during the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.

Dutch team Nuon’s Nuna 8 car was the first to cross the finish line Adelaide’s Victoria Square last week to win the solar-powered race that aims to promote solar-powered car research.

The Nuna 8 was transporting a small box from Two Men And A Truck in an attempt to carry out the first solar powered removal.

Two Men And A Truck’s founder Richard Kuipers (also a Dutchman) was delighted to have sponsored and supported the winning vehicle along the four-day race from Darwin to Adelaide.

“We wanted to support the Dutch team, but also be an advocate for solar energy,” he said.

“As a removals and transport business, we are always trying to find ways to lessen our impact on the environment, and support innovative methods of transport.”

Mr Kuipers followed the 42 cars from 25 countries along the 3000km Stuart Highway in a campervan with four mates.

“Surviving a week with five men in a campervan was a bigger challenge than the solar challenge,” he laughed.

But he said the event was one of the most inspiring events he’s ever been involved with.

The Nuon team is 15 students from Delft University of Technology, who have spent the last year building the Nuna 8, piece by piece.

“They are incredibly enthusiastic about their vehicle, and the race is like a game of cat and mouse. It’s very tactical – they need to calculate their speed to conserve energy and calculate how and when to overtake,” Mr Kuipers said.

Nuna8 has an average speed of around 95 kilometres per hour but reached a top speed of 130km per hour when it overtook other vehicles.

However, Mr Kuipers said he was disappointed in the narrow interest from Australian government bodies in the international event.

“Our governments are very inactive with solar power,” he said.

“The race was in headlines all over the world, but it was a non-event in Australia” he says.

In second place was a team from the University of Twente, also from the Netherlands, while Japan’s Tokai University came third. Australian team Clenergy finished eighth.

The Nuna 8 was on display in Martin Place on Wednesday 28th October in Martin Place, and Sydney University on Thursday 29th October.