Brunel Solar Team
Brunel Solar Team is a TU Delft student racing organization that designs and builds solar-powered cars under the 'Nuna' brand, competing in international challenges including the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and the American Solar Challenge, funded by tiered corporate partnerships and event prize winnings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersDelft, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brunel Solar Team does
Brunel Solar Team (also operating as Delft Solar Team) is a non-profit student racing organization affiliated with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, founded in 1999. The team designs, builds, and races solar-powered vehicles under the 'Nuna' brand, with each annual cohort of approximately 18 engineering students producing a new or substantially revised car roughly every one to two years. Core engineering capabilities include advanced photovoltaic integration, aerodynamic optimization, pre-preg carbon fibre composite construction, custom ironless electric motors, in-house battery pack design, and proprietary vehicle architectures such as the world's first 6 m² asymmetric catamaran (Nuna 13) with extendable aerodynamic fins that convert side winds into forward thrust.
The organization competes in international solar car racing challenges including the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (Australia), Sasol Solar Challenge (South Africa), American Solar Challenge (USA), and Formula Sun Grand Prix, having secured eight world championships at the BWSC, most recently with the Nuna 13 in 2025 (averaging 86.6 km/h over 4,132 km). Revenue is generated through tiered corporate partnerships (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze) — including ING, Newcold, HP, Longi, Volkswagen, Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo, Praeceptum, AIKO, and others — alongside event prize winnings and secondary income from corporate events and workshops. The team does not sell commercial products and does not disclose financial figures.
The team's strategic positioning blends engineering R&D demonstration with corporate sustainability marketing, most visibly through the Green Actions initiative that showcases partner sustainability projects. In 2025-2026, the team expanded into North American competition for the first time with the Nuna 13S at the American Solar Challenge, signaling an intent to broaden geographic and competitive footprint beyond the historically dominant BWSC circuit.
Brunel Solar Team firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brunel Solar Team
- Legal name
- Brunel Solar Team
- Website
- https://brunelsolarteam.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Brunel Solar Team is a TU Delft student racing organization that designs and builds solar-powered cars under the 'Nuna' brand, competing in international challenges including the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and the American Solar Challenge, funded by tiered corporate partnerships and event prize winnings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brunel Solar Team industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solar Vehicle Racing / Clean-Tech Engineering Showcase
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring) (EUAMABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO)
Keywords
Where Brunel Solar Team is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Delft
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Brunel Solar Team business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Partnership Sponsorships: The team operates through corporate partnerships and sponsorships. Partners provide expertise, knowledge, materials, financial support, and enthusiasm. Partners work together in their respective fields to build the best possible solar car.
- Event Prize Winnings: Revenue generated through competitive prize winnings from international solar car racing competitions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Brunel Solar Team product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Brunel Solar Team designs, engineers, builds, and races solar-powered vehicles in international competitions such as the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. As a student organization based at TU Delft, the team develops successive generations of the Nuna solar car (currently the Nuna 13) to showcase solar mobility technology under real-world race conditions.
Product overview
Brunel Solar Team (also operating as Delft Solar Team) is a solar car racing team from Delft, Netherlands that competes in international solar vehicle competitions. The team operates a fleet of named solar cars under the 'Nuna' brand series, ranging from the original Nuna (2001) through the latest Nuna 13 (2025) and Nuna 13S (2026). The core product portfolio consists of solar-powered racing vehicles featuring increasingly advanced technologies including asymmetric catamaran designs, aerodynamic fins for wind energy harvesting, custom ironless electric motors, pre-preg carbon fibre construction, and inhouse-built battery systems. The team competes in global solar racing challenges including the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and American Solar Challenge. Additionally, the team offers corporate engagement through events, workshops, and its Green Actions initiative that showcases partners' sustainability efforts. The team has won eight world championships at BWSC and multiple titles at regional challenges.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- First place finish at Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025 - 4132 km race from Darwin to Adelaide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Brunel Solar Team
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Brunel Solar Team technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Brunel Solar Team partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered key partner, diamond partner, diamond - highest tier, gold partner, technology partner, silver partner, bronze partner and partner.
- AIKOkey partnerJoint collaboration announced for the 2024 Sasol Solar Challenge. AIKO provides their industry-leading ABC solar cell technology to support the team's mission of solar innovation.
- TOPdeskdiamond partnerThree-year Diamond partnership with TOPdesk supporting the team through sponsorship.
- INGdiamond - highest tierDiamond partner sharing the vision of being sustainable pioneers. As sector experts with global reach, they collaborate on promoting innovations through the partnership. Together they facilitate sustainability and support the climate leaders of the future.
- Newcolddiamond - highest tierDiamond partner with combined ambition of transitioning existing and new transport and supply chains to run on sustainable solutions. Together they innovate with the newest onsite sustainable technologies.
- HPgold partnerGold partner providing technology solutions and expertise for solar car development.
- Longigold partnerGold partner specializing in solar technology and photovoltaic solutions.
- Praeceptumgold partnerGold partner contributing expertise and technology solutions.
- Air France-KLM Martinair Cargogold partnerGold partner providing cargo logistics and transportation services, particularly for shipping the solar car to international competition venues.
- AIKOtechnology partnerAIKO's ABC (All Back Contact) type N solar cells used by the team feature 27% or higher mass production efficiency. AIKO sponsored both Brunel Solar Team and Solar Team Twente at BWSC 2025.
- Omnimarksilver partnerCollaboration since 2009 on the C-PVC Reuse Challenge, addressing recycling of PVC-based self-adhesive films in the signage industry.
- ANWBsilver partnerSilver partner providing roadside assistance expertise and mobility solutions.
- Volkswagensilver partnerSilver partner contributing automotive technology and expertise.
- Prysmiansilver partnerSilver partner specializing in cable and wiring solutions for automotive applications.
- Muratabronze partnerPartner undertaking sustainability initiatives including Narrow Pitch Taping innovations that demonstrate how small innovations can drive big environmental gains.
- Prime Visionbronze partnerPartner in the Flow Project Redesign initiative, showing how smarter hardware can lower energy use, reduce emissions, and make logistics more accessible.
- LeafcloudpartnerPartner in Green Actions initiative focused on Heat Reuse to warm water in nursing homes, demonstrating how smart infrastructure can reduce emissions and benefit communities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Brunel Solar Team competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Solar Team Twente: Student solar racing team from the University of Twente (Netherlands); directly competes with Brunel at BWSC and Sasol, including being co-sponsored by AIKO at BWSC 2025. Same competition set, same car class, same engineering domain.
- Stanford Solar Car Project: Stanford University student team competing in American Solar Challenge and FSGP; comparable student engineering team with sponsorship-driven funding model.
- Sonnenwagen Aachen: German student team from RWTH/FH Aachen; BWSC competitor with similar biennial build cadence, sponsor-driven budget, and university-talent pipeline as Brunel.
- Sunswift (UNSW): University of New South Wales solar car team and multiple Australian/Bridgestone World Solar Challenge participant; similar university-based, sponsor-backed engineering model operating in the same international race series.
- Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER): University of Cambridge student team with a history of building solar racing vehicles for international competitions; same mission-driven, sponsorship-funded university model.
- University of Michigan Solar Car Team: Long-running American university team participating in the American Solar Challenge and FSGP; one of the most decorated US teams and direct BWSC/American Solar Challenge circuit peer.
- MIT Solar Car Team: MIT student team developing solar race vehicles for American circuits; comparable academic engineering team competing in the same challenge ecosystem.
- Innoptus Solar Team (formerly Agoria Solar Team): KU Leuven student team (Belgium) and regular BWSC Challenger-class competitor and prior champion; direct Dutch/Belgian rival with the same biennial build cycle and academic sponsorship model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brunel Solar Team social profiles
Digital presenceBrunel Solar Team financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brunel Solar Team leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Brunel Solar Team funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brunel Solar Team M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brunel Solar Team
What does Brunel Solar Team do?
The Brunel Solar Team designs, engineers, builds, and races solar-powered vehicles in international competitions such as the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. As a student organization based at TU Delft, the team develops successive generations of the Nuna solar car (currently the Nuna 13) to showcase solar mobility technology under real-world race conditions.
Is Brunel Solar Team a public or private company?
Brunel Solar Team is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Brunel Solar Team founded?
Brunel Solar Team was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Brunel Solar Team based?
Brunel Solar Team is headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Brunel Solar Team make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Partnership Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are event Prize Winnings.
Who are Brunel Solar Team's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Solar Team Twente, Stanford Solar Car Project, Sonnenwagen Aachen, Sunswift (UNSW), Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER), University of Michigan Solar Car Team, MIT Solar Car Team and Innoptus Solar Team (formerly Agoria Solar Team).
Does Brunel Solar Team have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brunel Solar Team.
What industry is Brunel Solar Team in?
Brunel Solar Team's product category is Solar Vehicle Racing / Clean-Tech Engineering Showcase. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMABAH, Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring), with a secondary code of EUAMABAO, Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS).