TomTom & Nuon Solar Team Join Forces to Create Intelligent Solar Car

TomTom (TOM2) today announced its continued support of the Nuon Solar Team, a group of students from the Delft University of Technology preparing for the 2018 Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa. This year the race runs from 22 - 30 September with the Nuon team aiming to cover the largest distance, following a set route each day, and then completing additional loops. The sevenfold world champions today revealed Nuna9S, the team’s first intelligent solar car, in Safaripark Beekse Bergen.

Smarter driving decisions with intelligent solar car

This is the fourth year that TomTom supports the Nuon Solar Team by providing the students with knowledge and access to TomTom technology. Specifically, expertise to build a machine interface which utilises all data to provide the driver with the intelligence to make smarter driving decisions. This year TomTom is also providing TomTom Traffic to power the vehicle’s predictive cruise control. This system will allow the car to determine the most efficient speed and engine settings to drive through the hills. Furthermore, it will help the team to develop the best strategy when it comes to decide how many additional loops of the course the car will drive, and the best time to bypass traffic congestion.   

TomTom co-founder, Peter Frans Pauwels, said: “We are really proud to team up with the Nuon Solar Team again this year. Their brilliant young minds are working on the most ambitious solar driving project – but perhaps more importantly, their work contributes towards a sustainable future.”

Nuon Solar Team member, Luka Jaksic, comments: “We have a really special relationship with TomTom – not only are they contributing their technology, but perhaps more valuably, they are providing their time and expertise. Together, we’re excited to hit the race course in Nuna9S, our first intelligent solar car.”  

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About TomTom

TomTom created the easy-to-use navigation device, one of the most influential inventions of all time. Since then, we have grown from a start-up, into a global technology company.

We design and develop innovative navigation products, software and services, that power hundreds of millions of applications across the globe. This includes industry-leading location-based and mapmaking technologies, embedded automotive navigation solutions; portable navigation devices and apps, and the most advanced telematics fleet management and connected car services.

Combining our own R&D expertise with business and technology partnerships, we continue to shape the future, leading the way with autonomous driving, smart mobility and smarter cities.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in 37 countries, we offer advanced digital maps that cover 142 countries, and our hyper-detailed and real-time TomTom Traffic information service reaches more than five billion people in 69 countries. www.tomtom.com