SAE formula Student

ORIGIN | STORY

         Formula Student is the world's largest competition for engineers, held annually in various locations around the world. It was founded by the Society of Automotive Engineers in the USA in 1981; the first European competition was held in 1998. More than 600 teams from different universities around the world now compete against each other in various disciplines with their self-constructed racing cars. It is not necessarily the team with the fastest car that wins, but the team with the best overall package of solid construction, good racing performance, careful financial planning and convincing sales arguments.

COMPETITION | WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?

         ince 2010, there has been a separate class for electric vehicles, the aim of which is to equip young engineers for the future technology of electric drives and to drive the innovation process forward. Here, the focus is on ecological aspects without contradicting the appeal of sportiness.  

DISCIPLINES | THEN THE EVALUATION WILL BE MADE

          A Formula Student competition consists of so-called static and dynamic disciplines. In the events of the first group, the engineers must present their vehicle and the entire development process to well-known judges from business, the automotive industry and renowned racing series such as Formula 1 and convincingly justify their approach. The following will be evaluated :

• ENGINEERING DESIGN - Evaluation of the technical and design aspects and characteristics of the vehicle.

• COST - Financial planning for the entire vehicle, including production.

• BUSINESS PLAN - Presentation of a business idea on how the self-developed vehicle could be used profitably. A group of judges represents a potential investor.

The dynamic disciplines put the driving performance of the prototypes to the test. Each discipline tests different capabilities of the vehicles:

• ACCELERATION - An acceleration race over 75 m from a standing start.

• SKID PAD - Cornering on a figure-8 course that tests the car's lateral acceleration.

• AUTOCROSS - Qualification for the endurance race with the aim of driving the fastest possible lap time on a pylon course.

• ENDURANCE & EFFICIENCY - An endurance race over a distance of 22 km, including a driver change. The efficiency rating evaluates the amount of energy consumed in relation to the time driven.