The 20th World Solar Challenge in Australia has gone Dutch this year. The Dutch Nuon team’s Nuna4 car crossed the finish line in the Outback at 33 hours and 17 minutes. This does not set a new record for the World Solar Challenge, however, as the same Dutch team in 2005 barreled along at 29 hours and 11 minutes in the 1,863 mile (3,000 km) race. The Nuna4’s average speed was 56.3 mph.
In other related news, at the same event, as part of the Greenfleet Class, the Bios Fuel Corporation demonstrated a fuel blend of 60-percent waste mineral oil and 40-percent water. This biofuel blend propelled a 1989 Toyota Landcruiser along the 3,000 km trail. The fuel blend showed a 90-percent reduction in emissions compared to diesel fuel that was also tested along the way.