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Vision of European children on sustainability
May 11, 2004The world's fastest solar car Nuna 2 will travel through Europe from May 29th untill June 11th: 6500 kilometres from Greece to Portugal, through Western Europe. Never before has a car driven this distance without using a single drop of fuel. Nuna 2 was designed and built by Dutch students and it features the newest in technology to make it as efficient as possible.
This tour is named Adiante, which means 'forward,' or 'improved' in Portuguese, and is a symbol for the great efforts made by our youths in technology and sustainability, making progress in journey towards a sustainable future. Children of Europe can support this tour by participating in the giant pan European drawing contest and show the world their vision on sustainability. Today, under supervision of the Dutch minister of Environment, and witnessed by hundreds of children on the Binnenhof in The Hague, Nuna 2 received an official Dutch license plate. This was the official kick-off for Adiante, and Nuna 2 will start its trip in Athens, on the 29th of May.
The Adiante route goes from Greece to Portugal, from the Olympic City to The UEFA Euro 2004. Never before has a car driven 6500 kilometres using only solar energy. Within 14 days, Nuna 2 will cross 15 countries and stop in 16 cities. During these stopovers, local authorities will welcome the solar car and the team will give the local children a demonstration of solar energy.
In October 2003, Nuna 2 proved its sustainability by crossing the Australian desert at an average speed of 97.02 km/h during the World Solar Challenge. Winning this race makes Nuna 2 the fastest solar car in the world. Nuna 2 is designed to use as little energy as possible, but also to collect as much solar energy as possible. Therefore, it has a low weight, an aerodynamic shape and the most advanced space tech solar cells in the world.
Having 3 wheels and a different shape makes Nuna 2 a special car. Therefore, the Dutch authorities have given it a special license plate. This makes it possible for Nuna 2 to participate in traffic on the public roads, as long as two other cars escort it.
The escort vehicles which will be used for this European tour are also sustainable, since they are hybrid cars; using a normal engine assisted by an electric 'engine.' The electric engine absorbs additional energy which is stored in a battery pack. Three hybrid cars will transport team members and their equipment and are a good example for the step towards sustainable cars for everyday use.
By making drawings, European children can become be involved in Adiante. In every country along the way, the Nuon Solar Team is organising a drawing competition for children between 6 and 14 years of age. The website, www.nuna2.com, explains in twelve languages what a solar car is and what the drawings should be about. Through these drawings, the children can visualise their vision on solar energy and a clean future.
At the end of Adiante, the Nuon Solar team will be able to present a collection of thousands of children's visions to an international audience, during the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal.
The Nuon Solar Team is a varied group of 12 Dutch students that built Nuna 2 last year. Together with a European network of over 300 people, they organised Adiante. In this network, different parties are represented: embassies, universities, governmental institutes and other enthusiastic people. This network poses as a perfect example of attaining a sustainable future on an international level.
Delft University of Technology
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