Shining a Light on Solar Innovation

The Brunel Solar Team has one objective: to win the race! But the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge introduced significant environmental and regulatory challenges. Unlike previous years, the event was scheduled two months earlier, in August instead of October, in the middle of the Australian winter. This shift reduced daylight hours and solar intensity, which directly affected the car's energy supply. 

A concurrent change in race regulations added further complexity. Teams were now permitted to use six square metres of solar panels, an increase from the previous limit of four. However, this expansion did not equate to a simple performance boost. Larger arrays brought increased aerodynamic drag and structural complications. All of this had to be addressed with two months less development time than usual. 

In addition, the maximum allowable battery capacity was reduced to just one-third of previous years, drastically reducing energy storage. As a result, energy management became critical. In real-time, the team would have to consider environmental variables such as wind, sunlight angles, road inclines, and weather conditions, making strategic adaptability a core component of the race plan. 

Given the aggressive timeline and technical demands, the team relied on agile and dependable manufacturing partners. Protolabs emerged as a key collaborator, providing high-quality CNC-machined components essential to the vehicle’s safety and performance. 

“We’re always looking for partners who share our values around sustainable innovation,” said Merijn Kroon, Partnerships Manager at Brunel Solar Team. “With Protolabs, the enthusiasm and willingness to collaborate stood out from the start. Their speed and precision made them a natural fit.”  

Protolabs supplied critical components, including the brake pedal bracket and front suspension damper brackets. These parts were safety-critical and had to meet stringent requirements for strength and weight. Aerospace-grade aluminium was used, and Protolabs delivered complex, high-tolerance parts with speed and precision, ensuring the team remained on schedule. 

“These are high-load, safety-critical parts that must be lightweight but durable,” explains Lucas De Jong, Mechanical Engineer, Brunel Solar Team. “We used aerospace-grade aluminium and relied on finite element analysis to validate designs before manufacture. Protolabs was able to deliver complex, high-tolerance parts fast—exactly what we needed.”  

This partnership allowed for accelerated iteration and testing. Critical components were delivered and mounted in time for early road trials. Once those tests were completed, the team was able to shift focus to manufacturing less time-sensitive parts, including spares. Additional components were 3D printed through the Protolabs Network, offering longer but more cost-efficient lead times. The combination of rapid turnaround and flexible production helped the team balance urgency with efficiency throughout the build process. 

“The flexibility that comes with Protolabs was key,” continues Merijn. “The ability to stay with one supplier when our demands fluctuated between immense speed to cost efficiency made this part of the project much easier to manage.”