Finished as number 6
Like the aviation sector, the auto industry too has a great deal to gain from the use of more composite materials. After all, these materials are lighter than aluminium, stronger than steel and in theory recyclable. The Twente One 2007, the solar car of the Solar Team Twente 2007 is light thanks to aerospace composite materials from TenCate. This sustainable vehicle achieved speeds as high as 126 kilometers per hour during the 2007 World Solar Challenge through Australia and finished as number 6.

Composite materials
Thermoplastic and thermosetting materials of TenCate contribute to more sustainable transport. The car racing industry is already making considerable use of these innovative materials, which are widely used in the aircraft and space industry. Solar Team Twente 2007 finished the more than 3,000 kilometers journey and won on technology and innovation, thanks to the integrated pivoting wing, made of aerospace composite: a novelty in the world of mobility. Made with composite material, consisting of carbon fabric.

Mobile solar panel
During the outback journey down under, the Twente One 2007 was equipped with a solar panel that could be pivoted. This allowed the most ideal angle of the sun – focused directly onto the solar cells – to be achieved for the greater part of the day. In addition, a patented lens system was used, in which the solar cells could move under the lenses so that they always remained in focus. This also produced extra solar energy.