Brunel Solar Team

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.

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

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

• Solar car racing
• Student engineering team
• Solar vehicle design
• Sustainable mobility racing
• Photovoltaic automotive

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered key partner, diamond partner, diamond - highest tier, gold partner, technology partner, silver partner, bronze partner and partner.

• AIKOkey partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2024Joint 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2022Three-year Diamond partnership with TOPdesk supporting the team through sponsorship.
• INGdiamond - highest tierStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiamond 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 tierStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiamond 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 partnerTechnology or IntegrationGold partner providing technology solutions and expertise for solar car development.
• Longigold partnerTechnology or IntegrationGold partner specializing in solar technology and photovoltaic solutions.
• Praeceptumgold partnerTechnology or IntegrationGold partner contributing expertise and technology solutions.
• Air France-KLM Martinair Cargogold partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGold partner providing cargo logistics and transportation services, particularly for shipping the solar car to international competition venues.
• AIKOtechnology partnerTechnology or IntegrationAIKO'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 partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration since 2009 on the C-PVC Reuse Challenge, addressing recycling of PVC-based self-adhesive films in the signage industry.
• ANWBsilver partnerTechnology or IntegrationSilver partner providing roadside assistance expertise and mobility solutions.
• Volkswagensilver partnerTechnology or IntegrationSilver partner contributing automotive technology and expertise.
• Prysmiansilver partnerTechnology or IntegrationSilver partner specializing in cable and wiring solutions for automotive applications.
• Muratabronze partnerTechnology or IntegrationPartner undertaking sustainability initiatives including Narrow Pitch Taping innovations that demonstrate how small innovations can drive big environmental gains.
• Prime Visionbronze partnerTechnology or IntegrationPartner in the Flow Project Redesign initiative, showing how smarter hardware can lower energy use, reduce emissions, and make logistics more accessible.
• LeafcloudpartnerTechnology or IntegrationPartner 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/brunelsolarteam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/VattenfallSolarTeam
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrunelSolarTeam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brunel-solar-team
• Instagraminstagram.com/delftsolarteam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brunel Solar Team