Undergreduate Students won international British Racing

Students who have built two Formula 1 style vehicles from scratch won third and fourth place in an international competition last month at the home of British racing.

The team of Imperial College London undergraduates were taking part in the Class 2 design section of the Institution of Mechanical Engineering’s 13th Annual Formula Student competition. Their all-electric single seat Imperial Racing vehicle, which won third place, consists of a light weight steel frame with two electric motors that are powered by batteries, positioned on either side of the driver.

Their IC06 combustion engine vehicle just missed out on a podium place, coming fourth. This vehicle also consists of a light weight frame, like the all-electric car, but it is powered by a 550cc Aprilla motorcycle engine.

The Formula Student competition is Europe’s biggest annual student motorsport event. This year, approximately 2,000 students from 23 countries took part in the contest, which was held in mid-July at Silverstone race track. The competition enables students to design, build and race Formula 1 style cars. They also gain valuable project management, business and presentation skills in the process.

The Imperial Racing Green team at the Formula Student competition

The Imperial undergraduates who took part of the event are part of the Imperial Racing Green (IRG) initiative, which draws on the expertise of more than 100 students from across eight different departments in Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering. The IRG project enables students to manage the design, testing and construction process of small scale Formula 1 style vehicles, giving them valuable experience before they begin their careers.

The class 2 category of the Formula Student competition is a static event that does not involve racing the vehicles around the track. Students gave presentations about their vehicles to a panel of industry experts, talking through their business plan, outlining production costs, and vehicle design specifications, plus an environmental impact statement for the all-electric Imperial Racing Vehicle.

Dr John Sheldrake, Project Manager of the Imperial Racing Green team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, added:

“Apart from being great fun, the Formula Student competition gave our students the chance to swap notes with students from other universities and see what exciting innovations they’re coming up with in vehicle design. It was really great experience for our students to have to give presentations about all the work that they have been doing in front of industry professionals. We are really pleased that the IRG team did so well in the contest. They were up against some stiff international competition and they managed to hold their own – well done to all involved!”

The Imperial Racing Green project is an initiative of the Energy Futures Lab, which is the College’s hub for interdisciplinary energy research.

Taiwan Electric Car Entrants Aim to Build Ties with U.S. Automakers at June Event

Taiwan companies, which have supplied many of the key components used in the world’s first electric cars and are emerging as important players in this infant industry, are aiming to build closer ties with U.S. automakers during an event taking place during June 21-25.

“EVs are a new game for everyone”

To help build links between Taiwan and the U.S. in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has organized the Taiwan Automotive International Forum and Exhibition (TAIFE) taking place in the U.S. cities of Detroit, Indianapolis and Los Angeles during June 21-25. The event will provide a unique opportunity for U.S. and Taiwan companies to build alliances.

Taiwan companies such as Chroma, Whetron and Molicel have provided key parts such as batteries, inverters and electronic systems that have been used in electric cars from BMW, Mitsubishi and Tesla. The Taiwan companies aim to combine their expertise in IT and electronics to enter the fledgling EV industry that’s expected to take off around 2015.

“EVs are a new game for everyone,�?? says William Chang, senior manager of corporate marketing for Chroma. “There are a lot of opportunities for Taiwan companies to support U.S. automakers.�??

One of the companies joining the TAIFE event, Taiwan’s Yulon Group, is preparing to launch its own electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) within the next 12 months. Most of the components for Yulon’s 100 percent electric Luxgen SUV, including information technology and other electronics systems, are also from Taiwan suppliers.

“Taiwan has excellent integration capabilities,�?? says Chun-Chung Lee, executive vice president of Haitec, the R&D unit of Yulon Group.

Taiwan’s production of auto electronics will be worth NT$100 billion (US$3.2 billion) in 2010 and increase to NT$300 billion by 2015, according to Taiwan’s MOEA. The main products include telematics systems, automobile lights, light-emitting diode (LED) headlights, reverse parking systems and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Taiwanese companies also have huge potential in airbags, car alert systems, keyless entry, engine lock chips, navigation systems and infotainment systems.

Taiwan has many companies entering the electric car industry. E-One Moli Energy Corp., supplied the lithium-ion batteries used in BMW`s MiniE electric car. Fukuta Elec. & Mach. Co. supplies electric motors for the Tesla Roadster, BMW`s MiniE and the Luxgen electric car.

Production of electric vehicles is predicted to soar in the next few years. Approximately 1 million EVs are expected on the road in the U.S. by 2015 with five times that many expected by 2020, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a U.S.-based research group.

Markets in Asia and Europe are expected to grow at a similar pace. Billions of dollars are being invested globally to develop and promote electric vehicle technology, including almost US$3 billion from the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

Earlier this year, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), a world leader in product safety testing and certification services, signed a letter of intent with Taiwan’s globally renowned Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop testing technology and specifications for power systems in electric vehicles. UL and ITRI also aim to develop safety tests for long-term aging of lithium batteries and solar power generation systems.