Nuna 3 was one of the favourites for the 2005 edition of the World Solar Challenge with a pre-race test-drive recorded top speed of 130 km/h.
It has very efficient solar cells of a type normally used to power orbital satellites[1] (as had the previous Nunas), and it has better aerodynamics and is lighter than its predecessors.
[citation needed] It was designed and built by 11 students from different disciplines of the Delft University of Technology, who have partly put their studies on hold for this.
To have a good chance to win, the car has to: The solar cells are made of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and consist of three layers.
Because the 2005 race was held in September (as opposed to October or November in previous years) the sun was lower in the sky (it's earlier in spring).
The ideal streamline is achieved in various stages: From meteorological data from the area where the contest is to take place, it can be concluded that there will likely be a strong side-wind.
The design was initially made to reach its maximum performance at the normal cruising speed of the solar car at around 100 km/h.
The winner of the North American Solar Challenge from the University of Michigan (USA) was considered to be one of the most important opponents.